THE NETTLE AND FIG FAMILY 



119 



Other Fig Trees and Nettles. 



The 'Sacred Peepul {Fkus religiosa; A7ir/.. Aralimara; 31aL 

 Arayal; Tarn. Ara^-amaram; Tel. Ravicettu; San. Pippala, 

 Agvattha) is one of the sacred trees of the Hindus. The sacred 

 "Bo tree" of Buddha was a Peepul. Its leaves are not roundish, 

 like those of the Banyan tree, but are drawn out in long, narrow 

 points. When it rains we can see that the water drips from these 

 points. And it is good that it is so. Water runs off easier from 

 a point than it would from a blunt end, and the sooner the leaf 

 is dry, the better for the tree. (Why?) Many trees have simi- 

 larly pointed leaves, but none to such perfection as the Peepul 

 tree. The petioles being very long, the leaves are shaken by 



Fig- 111. — Branch of the Cultivated Fig tree 

 {Ficus carica) with a leaf and two figs. 



the gentlest breeze and cause a rustling noise which has given 

 rise to many superstitious beliefs. The tree attains a very 

 great age. The age of a famous Peepul tree at Anuradhapura, 

 in Ceylon, was said to have been 2147 years in 1852, and must 

 be over 2200 years now. — The fruit of the Country Fig Tree 

 ^Ficiis glomerata; Kan. Attimara) is edible. It grows in dense 

 clusters on the trunk or branches. Its leaves are often covered 

 with galls. 



