Herbarium JCB

Ficus benghalensis L.

Family : MORACEAE
Family (As per The Plant List) : Moraceae
Species : Ficus benghalensis
Species Name (as per The Plant List) : Ficus benghalensis L.
Common name : Banyan Tree
Vernacular name : Vata (San.); Bat, Bargad (Hin.); Aladamara, Goli mara (Kan.)
Collection Nos : CJS 12154, CJS 11580
Key identification features : A giant evergreen tree with spreading branches and supported by aerial roots that grow down into the soil to form the 'props'. Bark is grey-brown, relatvely smooth; exudes milky latex when cut. Leaves are leathery, simple and alternate, ovate with prominent veins. Galls are often seen on the leaf surface. Figs are about 2 cm in diameter, rich red and appear in pairs from the leaf axils.
Habit : Tree
Native : India
Comments : Sacred Tree; often planted along avenues and near places of worship; bark, leaves, seeds have medicinal properties and are used in local medicine; the biggest Banyan in the world is in the village of Gotte Bayalu in Andhra Pradesh, occupying an area of 2 ha.
Conservation Status : Not Evaluated (NE)
Distribution Locality : Bagalkot, Bangalore, Belgaum, Bellary, Bidar, Bijapur, Chamrajnagar, Chikamagalur, Chikkaballapur, Chitradurga, Dakshina Kannada, Davanagere, Dharwad, Gadag, Gulbarga, Hassan, Haveri, Kodagu, Kolar, Koppal, Mandya, Mysore, Raichur, Ramanagara, Shimoga, Tumkur, Udupi, Uttara Kannada, Yadgir
Floras referred : Saldanha & Nicolson, 1976 - Hassan; Saldanha, 1984; Ramaswamy & Razi, 1973 - Bangalore; Seetharam et al., 2000 - Gulbarga; Rao & Razi, 1981 - Mysore; Keshava Murthy & Yoganarasimhan, 1990 - Coorg; Gopalakrishna Bhat, 2003 - Udupi; Manjunath et al., 2003 - Davanagere; Gopalakrishna Bhat, 2014 - Flora of South Kanara