Can banyan trees live forever?

Question

If not then how old?

Answer 1

The great Indian Banyan tree-

Located in the Indian Botanical Gardens, Howrah, over the River Hooghly from Kolkata, the Great Banyan was the widest tree in the world, in terms of the area of the canopy. It is estimated as about 200 to 250 years old. It became diseased after it was struck by lightning, so in 1945 the middle of the tree was excised to keep the remainder healthy; this has left it as a clonal colony, rather than a single tree. A 330m road was built around its circumference, but the tree continues to spread beyond it.

The Great Banyan tree is over 250 years old and in spread it is the largest known in India, perhaps in Asia.

There is no clear history of the tree as to the time of planting etc, but it is mentioned in some travel books of the nineteenth century. It was damaged by two great cyclones of 1884 and 1886, when some of its main branches were broken exposing it to the attack of a hard fungus.

With its large number of aerial roots which grow from the branches and run vertically to the ground and look like so many trunks,

The Great Banyan looks more like a forest than an individual tree. Interestingly enough the tree now lives in perfect vigour without its main trunk, which decayed and had to be removed in 1925, the circumference of the original trunk at 1.7 m from the ground was 15.7 m, the area occupied by the tree is about 14478.44 sqm.

The present crown of the tree has a circumference of 450 m and the highest branch rises to 24.5 m, it has at present 2880 aerial roots reaching down to the ground.

click on the links below-
http://rajeshrana.blogspot.com/2006/03/great-banyan-tree-greatest-of-all.html

http://www.redbeet.com/pictures-storage/banyan_tree/banyantree_P9010411.jpg

Answer 2

The banyan tree (Ficus bengalensis ) grows in India & surrounding countries .The life span is given as a thousand years or about,due to it's spreading habit,new plants are established from ariel supporting roots that set up as new plants once they make contact with the ground.,thus spreading to cover large areas,the shade of these spreading trees is very welcome,the worlds largest banyan is supposed to be in Srl Lanka covering a hectare in area,the grounds of the Theosophical society in Adyar,Chennai has another very old,wide spreading tree.Establishing the age of a banyan is tricky as the original tree is hidden among the many trees that have developed from it,yet is said to live for well over a thousand years.,but like all finite things life does come to an end.

Answer 3

Nothing lives forever. But they definately live longer than humans. i think they can be over a thousand years old.

Answer 4

Hmmmm, nobodies ever lived long enough to find out. Sorry.

Answer 5

nothing lives forever