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A large Banyan (Ficus benghalensis), grows at the center of the Gardens. Members of the Fig family, Banyans have distinctive lifestyles. Their fruit, eaten by various creatures, resembles a miniature edible fig. The Banyan’s small seeds begin life on the branches of other tree species. Like the native Florida Strangler Fig, the young banyans eventually overwhelm their host trees. As they grow, the Banyan saplings develop aerial roots that thicken into interconnected trunks to support their heavy branches.
The largest tree in the landscape, Pinecrest Garden’s single Banyan would form a multi-acre grove, if allowed to spread without restraint. Planted more than seventy years ago, its massive trunks and leafy shade have delighted generations of visitors.