Ficus benghalensis
The Indian banyan, India's national tree: a huge fig that often starts life as an epiphyte, sends down aerial roots that become new trunks, and can spread over a hectare or more. As a houseplant young plants make an upright tree with thick, oval, velvety leaves. It needs strong light and warmth, and tolerates dry air and a dry season well.
Where it grows wild
It grows in monsoon and rain forests of the Indian subcontinent. Seeds dropped by birds often germinate on other trees; the young plant sends roots to the ground and eventually encloses its host, then spreads by aerial roots that become pillar-like trunks. Mature trees stand in full sun, and it is very widely planted in villages, temples and along roads.
Mostly lowland to middle elevations; the measured sites run from sea level in Kerala to about 915 m around Bangalore.
🔒 Growing it like that
The wild conditions above, turned into targets for a shelf, a tent or a greenhouse. The full profile has:
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Profiles are drafts built from measured range and climate and from published sources; each section carries its own confidence in the app.