THE DICOTYLEDONES 



1747 



growing to an enormous size. From the larger branches adventitious roots 

 grow down and if allowed will form pillars giving the appearance of ad- 

 ditional trunks. As a result the trees may cover large areas. Tradition 



Fig. 1625. — Ficus elastica. The India Rubber 

 Plant. Frequently grown for indsor 

 decoration. 



States that an army of 5,000 men have encamped under the cover of a single 

 banyan tree, and one tree, consisting of 350 large and 3,000 small columns, 

 has been recorded. The tree is sacred in India and the young prop roots 

 are protected from injury by enclosing them in tubes of bamboo. 



Ficus religiosa is the Peepul or Bo Tree. It is similar in appearance to the 

 Banyan but the leaves have long, acuminate apices and no epidermal wax. 

 It is also a sacred tree to the Buddhists for beneath its shade Buddha is said 

 to have learned the vanity of existence and the mystery of the universe. At 

 Dena Pitya in Ceylon is a Bo tree under whose shade lives a whole village 

 of over a hundred huts. 



Ficus sycomorus is the biblical Sycamore or Mulberry Fig. It is a rela- 

 tivelv small, erect tree. 



Ficus carica is the Mediterranean Fig. It is a small tree in which the 

 fruits are pear-shaped (Fig. 1626). The species is commonly cultivated in 

 this country and, though the best fruits are obtained in greenhouses, out- 

 door fruits can be obtained when the tree is planted against a warm wall. 

 Commercial fig growing in this country is restricted mainly to the neigh- 

 bourhood of Worthing. 



