Why does a banyan tree have so many trunks?

Its hanging aerial roots reach the ground and thicken into new prop trunks, so a single banyan can spread outward for decades and look like a small grove.

What is the difference between banyan and peepal?

Banyan (Ficus benghalensis) has thick oval leaves and prop roots; peepal (Ficus religiosa) has heart-shaped leaves with a long drip-tip and no curtain of aerial roots.

✿Moraceae · Ficus

Bargad / Banyan Tree

Ficus benghalensis

TreeMedicinal

Habit: Tree
Found in India: Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Telangana & more
Flowering: Throughout the year

Identify this plant with SASYA

How to identify Bargad

Identify Bargad by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.

Look for a tree habit.
Check the distinctive field mark: Classic banyan tree with vast canopy of prop roots.
Confirm leaf shape: Cordate (heart-shaped).
Confirm leaf surface: Glabrous (smooth, hairless).
Use the leaf pattern: alternate leaf arrangement, simple leaves, entire leaf margins, pinnate venation.
In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: Throughout the year.
In India, compare location records such as Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and nearby regions.

Plant Details

Scientific name: Ficus benghalensis
Genus: Ficus
Family: Moraceae
Habit: Tree
Habitat: Dry deciduous forests, also in the plains
Habitat type: Forest
Distribution: India, Sub Himalayan tracks, Sri Lanka, Pakistan
Found in India: Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Kerala, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Puducherry, Assam, Chandigarh, Daman & Diu, Haryana, Jharkhand, Punjab, Jammu & Kashmir, Tripura
Flowering & fruiting: Throughout the year
Conservation status: Not Evaluated (NE)

Leaf characters

Leaf shape: Cordate (heart-shaped)recorded
Leaf surface: Glabrous (smooth, hairless)recorded

Typical of the family

Arrangement: Alternate
Type: Simple
Margin: Entire
Venation: Pinnate

Characters marked “recorded” are for Bargad itself; the rest are typical of the Moraceae family.

Flower & fruit characters

Flower symmetry: Actinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
Inflorescence: Catkin
Fruit: Drupe

Typical of the Moraceae family — flowering plants only; individual species can differ.

Local Names

Hindi: बरगद Bargad, वट Vat, bot,बरगद baragad
Nepali: बर Bar, बर
Bengali: বট গাছ Bot-Gacha
Tamil: ஆல் Aal, அன்னபம் Annapam, அவரோகி Avaroki, ஆலமரம்
Telugu: బహుపాదము Bahu-Padamu, భాండీరము Bhandiramu, మర్రి Marri, మర్రి చెట్టు
Kannada: ಆಲದಮರ Aaladamara, ಗೋಳಿದಮರ Golidamara, ವಟ Vata
Malayalam: പേരാൽ Peraal
Marathi: वड Vad, वट Vat, वड
Sanskrit: वटवृक्षः
Gujarati: વડ
Punjabi: ਬੋਹੜ
Assamese: বট
Sinhala: නුග

Bargad in India

The banyan is India's national tree and the great shade tree of village life — बरगद Bargad (Hindi), ஆல் Aal (Tamil), బహుపాదము Bahu-Padamu (Telugu), ಆಲದಮರ Aaladamara (Kannada), പേരാൽ Peraal (Malayalam), वड Vad (Marathi). Ficus benghalensis is recorded across Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, often as huge, centuries-old trees at crossroads, temples and chaupals.

Uses

Banyans anchor village social life, shading meeting places, markets and temples, and are venerated in several traditions. Bark and aerial roots appear in attributed folk remedies. Ecologically the figs feed birds, bats and monkeys through much of the year.

How to Identify Bargad

Unmistakable once mature: woody aerial roots drop from the branches and thicken into pillar-like trunks, letting one tree spread over a huge area. The leaves are large, leathery and oval, and the small round figs sit close to the stem, ripening red.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Banyan Tree called in different Indian languages?: बरगद Bargad (Hindi); ஆல் Aal (Tamil); బహుపాదము Bahu-Padamu (Telugu); ಆಲದಮರ Aaladamara (Kannada); പേരാൽ Peraal (Malayalam); वड Vad (Marathi); বট গাছ Bot-Gacha (Bengali); વડ (Gujarati); ਬੋਹੜ (Punjabi); वटवृक्षः (Sanskrit).
Why does a banyan tree have so many trunks?: Its hanging aerial roots reach the ground and thicken into new prop trunks, so a single banyan can spread outward for decades and look like a small grove.
What is the difference between banyan and peepal?: Banyan (Ficus benghalensis) has thick oval leaves and prop roots; peepal (Ficus religiosa) has heart-shaped leaves with a long drip-tip and no curtain of aerial roots.

Botanical family

Moraceae

Fig/Mulberry family

Bargad belongs to the Moraceae family.

The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.

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Common plant problems

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More in Moraceae

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Sources: GBIF — Ficus benghalensis (India distribution & vernacular names) (CC BY 4.0) · iNaturalist — Ficus benghalensis (regional names, India observations) (CC BY 4.0) · Wikipedia — Ficus benghalensis (background/comprehension only) (CC BY-SA 4.0)