22°33′39″N 88°17′12″E / 22.5608°N 88.2868°E
| The Great Banyan | |
|---|---|
 The Great Banyan Tree | |
 | |
| Species | Banyan (Ficus benghalensis) |
| Location | Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Garden, Shibpur, Howrah |
| Height | 24 m (79 ft) |
| Date seeded | before 1800 |
The Great Banyan is a banyan tree (Ficus benghalensis) located in Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Garden, Shibpur, Howrah, near Kolkata, India.[1] The great banyan tree draws more visitors to the garden than its collection of exotic plants from five continents. Its main trunk became infected by fungi after it was struck by two cyclones, so in 1925 the main trunk of the tree was amputated to keep the remainder healthy. A 330-metre-long (1,080 ft) road was built around its circumference, but the tree continues to spread beyond it.
It was recorded to be the largest tree specimen in the world in the Guinness Book of World Records in 1989.[2][3][4]
- ^ Sambamurty 2005, p. 206.
- ^ Matthews, Peter; Dunkley McCarthy, Michelle; Young, Mark (CON) (October 1993). The Guinness Book of Records 1994. Facts on File. ISBN 978-0-8160-2645-6. Retrieved 5 June 2012.
- ^ India Today. Living Media India Pvt. Ltd. 1992. p. 53. Retrieved 5 June 2012.
- ^ Sayeed, Vikhar Ahmed. "Arboreal Wonder". Frontline. Retrieved 5 June 2012.