Enormous Banyan Tree Chennai Tamil Nadu India Postcard

This postcard features a 450- year old banyan tree at the at Theosophical society in Chennai (Madras), Tamil Nadu, India. A banyan tree begins its life as an epiphyte, an organism that grows on the surface of a plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it. Photo credit: Kandukuru Nagarjun, 2014. The banyan tree is the national tree of India. It is also called Indian or Bengal fig. It is considered sacred in India and can be seen near a temple or religious centre. It is a big tree and gives shade to travelers in very hot summer months. An old custom offers worship to this tree. The banyan (Ficus benghalensis) is one of more than 750 species of fig trees, each of which is pollinated only by its own species of tiny wasps that breed only inside the figs of their partner trees. Enjoy your new Enormous Banyan Tree Chennai Tamil Nadu India Postcard!