'LIFE SUPPORT'

The Banyan Tree - The National Tree of India

'A tree growing out of the ground

 is as wonderful today as it ever was.

 It does not need to adopt new

and startling methods'.

 - Robert Henri

The National Tree of India is The Banyan Tree. This huge tree towers over its neighbors and has the widest reaching roots of all known trees, easily covering several acres. It sends off new shoots from its roots, so that one tree is really a tangle of branches, roots, and trunks. The banyan tree regenerates and lives for an incredible length of time--thus it is thought of as the immortal tree. 

Its size and leafy shelter are valued in India as a place of rest and reflection, and also as protection from the hot sun! It is still the focal point and gathering place for local councils and meetings. India has a long history of honoring this tree; it figures prominently in many of the oldest stories of the nation.