Banyan Tree: Origin, Distribution, and Latest Production Areas
The banyan tree, also known as the small-leaved banyan, evergreen, banyan aerial root, etc., is a large tree of the genus Ficus in the mulberry family (Moraceae). It is commonly used in landscape garden design. Besides serving as a street tree and shade tree, it can also fully display its ornamental value as a garden landscape tree and a specimen tree. Below, let us take a look at the origin and distribution of the banyan tree!
Origin and Distribution of the Banyan Tree
The banyan tree is mainly distributed in Taiwan, China, Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hubei, Guizhou, Yunnan and other places. Abroad, it is also distributed in Sri Lanka, India, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Japan, Papua New Guinea and northern and eastern Australia, extending to the Caroline Islands.
The Banyan Tree's Native Environment
The banyan tree is highly adaptable. It prefers loose, fertile acidic soil, can also grow in poor sandy soil, and its leaves turn yellow in alkaline soil. It is not drought-tolerant and is relatively tolerant of water and moisture; short periods of waterlogging will not cause root rot. It grows poorly under dry climatic conditions, and in humid air it can develop aerial roots, greatly enhancing its ornamental value. It prefers a sunny, warm and humid climate and is not cold-tolerant; except in South China, it is mostly grown as a potted plant. It is not demanding about soil and can grow in both slightly acidic and slightly alkaline soil, but it fears exposure to scorching sun.
Common Types of Banyan Tree
1. Weeping fig: Also known as the weeping banyan, weeping branch banyan, small-leaved banyan, white banyan, etc., it is a species of the same genus, an evergreen broad-leaved tree, growing shrub-like when potted. It has many branches, and the branches are soft and mostly drooping. The leaves are relatively small, drooping, green, thin, and leathery. It is a popular indoor foliage plant both domestically and abroad.
2. Variegated weeping fig: Also known as the variegated weeping banyan, it is a cultivar of the weeping fig, an evergreen shrub with sparse branches. The plant form is relatively upright. The leaves are densely alternate, ovate, with irregular pale yellow markings on both the veins and leaf margins, giving it high ornamental value.
3. Spotted-leaf weeping fig: A cultivar of the weeping fig, the plant is relatively short. The leaves are smaller than those of the weeping fig, green, with irregular creamy yellow markings on the leaf surface, giving it even higher ornamental value.
4. Spotted-leaf small-leaved weeping fig: A cultivar of the weeping fig. The branches droop and are densely branched. The leaves are even smaller than those of the spotted-leaf weeping fig, with irregular alternating yellow-green markings on the leaf surface, giving it even greater ornamental value than the spotted-leaf weeping fig.
5. Red fruit fig: Also known as the mountain banyan, bird banyan, red-fleshed banyan, military tube banyan, green-stalk club, etc., it is a common species of the same genus, an evergreen tree, with drooping aerial roots. The bark is smooth and dark brown. The leaves are broad and large, oblong, with entire margins and blunt tips, 10-20 cm long, concentrated at the tips of the side branches. It is at its most ornamental when new leaves emerge. It is extremely shade-tolerant and can be grown indoors in pots for long periods.
6. Golden banyan: Also known as the yellow banyan, golden-leaf banyan, etc., it is a cultivar of the banyan tree. The leaves are golden yellow, smooth and glossy, and the leaf color becomes even more beautiful when grown under strong light. In recent years it has become
7. Triangle fig: A common species of the same genus, a low-growing shrub with inverted triangular leaves. It is not cold-tolerant and is suitable for small potted cultivation.
8. Variegated triangle fig: A cultivar of the triangle fig. The leaf surface has irregular alternating yellow, white and green markings. It has higher ornamental value than the triangle fig and is even less cold-tolerant. It is suitable for potted foliage display.
9. Fiddle-leaf fig: A common species of the same genus, an evergreen tree with black branches and trunk. The leaves are fiddle-shaped, with entire wavy margins, and are large, 20-30 cm long and 13-20 cm wide. The leaf surface is dark green, and the leaf underside is brown, gradually turning white. It is strongly cold-tolerant. It is suitable for indoor potted cultivation.