this post was submitted on 14 Jun 2023
34 points (88.6% liked)

Plants

82 readers
1 users here now

A Magazine where everyone can talk about various types of greenery, gardening, and hobbies involving plants

founded 1 year ago
34
Banyan trees, AKA strangler figs, can live for centuries. They germinate in tree branches and grow aerial roots downwards. This stabilizes them so they can wrap around the host tree, creating pressure (media.kbin.social)
submitted 1 year ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
3 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 
top 3 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] niktemadur 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Do they kill the host tree, or is it a symbiotic relationship?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Yes they kill their hosts! By applying pressure they “strangle” the host until it dies and rots away, leaving an empty hole in the center of the tree.

[–] FlashZordon 5 points 1 year ago

Front Street in Lahaina, HI has a great looking banyan tree near the harbor. Spent a bunch of time around there as a kid waiting for the ferry.