THE GEOGRAPHIC

India’s Superlative

The largest trees in the world? Text YD Bar-Ness

Asia is a land of superlatives – the structures, as opposed to the more largest countries, the most populous familiar upright single stem. A single nations, the highest mountains, vine can grow to a great linear extent, and the lowest regions. It’s a much but will look less impressive than a lesser-known fact, however, that the stout wooden . And, critically, continent is also home to the most we are only seeing half the picture – expansive trees on the planet – the it’s impossible to measure the root sprawling, colossal, of . structure of a living tree with any These trees are not just degree of precision – nobody knows spectacularly large organisms; what massive roots grow beneath they are also living history, ancient the ground! landmarks and ambassadors from the If you start with the perspective natural world. that a tree is a single-stemmed, upright individual, then some of What’s a Superlative Tree? the more notable superlative trees It’s easy to get excited about titanic include the largest tree by trunk living things. While we may ourselves wood volume: a giant sequoia be massive creatures relative to (Sequoiadendron ggiganteum), the microbes that dominate the encompassing 1,487 cubic metres, planet, we find ourselves in awe of in the California mountains of the a tree that stands over our heads. USA; the world’s tallest known But what makes an individual tree: a coastal redwood (Sequoia superlatively sized? sempervirens), also in California, To start with, what’s an individual? at 115.56 metres above the ground; Things are made complicated by the the tallest (and the fact that trees are modular organisms, tallest in the Southern Hemisphere): A Banyan (also Banian) is a with differing realities of individuality a Tasmanian oak (Eucalyptus regnans), fig that starts its life as an epiphyte (a plant growing and sexuality. can form clonal reaching 99.6 metres into the sky; on another plant) when its seeds germinate in the colonies, which propagate from roots, the largest single trunk diameter: the cracks and crevices on a host branches, or broken pieces, and Glencoe Baobab (Adansonia digitata) tree (or on structures like buildings and bridges) they can also form multi-stemmed of Limpopo, South Africa, with a

THE BRETT WESTON ARCHIVE/CORBIS 40 41 THE GEOGRAPHIC

The banyan trees have taken these strangling skills to extremes and will often strangle their own branches in a complex swirl of wood.

merchant sells tea and sweets, and – and these grow down until they reach Natural and Human History scattered benches provide couples a a firm footing in the soil. Entangled The pan-tropical genus, which small measure of privacy in this quiet with their neighbours, they develop includes the sacred Bodhi tree under green space. You could walk for almost into a twisted, latticed mass of wood which Buddha attained enlightenment a hundred metres in any direction and and provide support for the branch to (Ficus religiosa, also known as you would still be within the grove. grow even further horizontally. Peepal), is known for two evolutionary But something makes this forest In some places within the grove, adaptions: first, their mutual different. As your eye follows the stem branches have broken, leaving isolated association with specialised pollinator up into the canopy, you see horizontal sections growing within the network. wasps, and second, their ability to branches linking stem to stem in a In other spots, massive branches “strangle” other trees. network of solid, living wood. The snake along the ground beneath the To gain a foothold in the bright dynamic is obvious: there are countless green overstory. This entire grove is a upper canopy of the tropical rainforest, tendrils hanging down from the single living tree and it might just be these plants have developed a tasty underside of every branch – aerial roots the largest tree in the world. fruit, which is deposited by birds and mammals in the crown of an unfortunate forest tree. The young Ficus seedling will sprout and begin sending long roots down towards the forest floor. When these touch the nutrient- rich soil, its growth is accelerated and 15.9-metre diameter. This last tree, trees grow, decline and die, and surprisingly, live in close and intimate it begins to mercilessly encompass the however, has recently formed a split the rankings of trees, therefore, contact with humans in India, one of trunk of the host tree in a strangling down the centre. Does that mean it changes as well. Previously, these the most populous nations on Earth. network of wood. Eventually, the host should be removed from the list? It’s measurements have required If you define “largest” by the crown tree is overpowered and the strangler up to you: diameters can be tricky precision survey tools, rangefinder coverage of a single individual tree, as fig is ready to start the cycle again. to measure and depending on your lasers and sometimes even technical measured in land area covered, then The banyan trees have taken these approach, there are other candidates tree climbing. However, with freely it appears that these are the largest strangling skills to extremes and will around the world. available software, you can now join trees in the world. often strangle their own branches in If you expand your definition to the ranks of the big-tree hunters a complex swirl of wood. They also include the largest known clonal tree through online digital mapping and a The Interior of the Organism seem happy to grow on architectural – composed of separate genetically citizen science mindset. Imagine, if you will, that you are structures: If you look carefully in South identical stems – then you encounter standing in a forest grove, shaded by Asia, you will find small fig trees growing the Pando Aspen Grove, which covers The Giant Banyans of India a thick canopy of dark green leaves. happily on many heritage buildings. 43 hectares of ground in the American To me, the most interesting, historical, Surrounding you are countless vertical These trees provide shade, habitat, Rocky Mountains in some 47,000 tree challenging and tenacious examples stems, some twisted and corded into historical links and sacred structure stems of Populus tremuloides. of superlative arboreal growth are surreal organic shapes. Monkeys jump to the people of India and other A small but dedicated global the intricate, impossibly complex from branch to branch, and hundreds countries. Banyan trees are ubiquitous community of enthusiasts records networks of wood formed by the of other visitors from around India as central meeting points in towns. and compares the dimensions of tropical genera of fig trees, Ficus. walk on paths within the grove. A top left "Banyan" often above Humble beginnings of Several banyan trees across India are refers specifically to the the great banyan of : individual trees, always seeking the They reach their structural climax in large, ornate temple can be seen in Indian banyan or Ficus The banyan is called Bargad, linked to ancient and mythological largest, tallest, fattest and broadest. the species Ficus benghalensis and the forest, far away and just out of benghalensis, which is the Vatavriksh and Barh in Hindi events. Many are identified as the national tree of India and is also part of the coat of Of course, the numbers change, as the most impressive individuals, sight behind the leaves and stems. A arms of Indonesia mythical wish-fulfilling tree, the

42 PHOTOS ON SPREAD, FROM LEFT: JENNA SZERLAG/DESIGN PICS/CORBIS, YD BAR-NESS 43 THE GEOGRAPHIC

Kalpavriksha. In Kurukshetra, Haryana, Results a banyan is revered as the exact site The world’s largest known living tree, husband’s funeral pyre. A sign at the calculation, the Kabirvad is the largest where the god Krishna spoke the as measured by crown coverage, site tells us that it covers 25,000 square tree in the world, with an expanse of sacred text of the Bhagavad Gita (part is an Indian giant banyan known metres and boasts more than 1,650 20,985 square metres. of the Hindu epic Mahabharata) to the as Thimmamma Marrimanu stems. Judging from the aerial imagery, The third largest, at 16,531 square warrior Arjuna. In more recent times, (14°1'41"N, 78°19'30"E), covering this seems to be an overestimate. metres, is the famous Great Banyan the first Indian Stock Exchange began 19,107 square metres of the Earth’s The tree was substantially damaged of the Botanical Gardens life underneath a banyan tree in 1850s’ surface. (For comparison, the main by storms in 1850 and large pieces of (22°33'39"N, 88°17'12"E) in Kolkata, Bombay, now Mumbai. building of the Taj Mahal covers broken wood are scattered within, but West Bengal. This 250-year-old tree The sage and poet Kabir, whose only 4,225 square metres.) is actively recolonising the gaps. is visited regularly by tourists and is writings are sacred to Sikhs, Hindus and This tree in Southern India, The next largest tree by net lovingly tended by the gardeners. It Muslims, visited a giant banyan on an sprawling below steep granite hills, coverage, at 17,520 square metres, is lives in the fertile soil of the island in the of is not well known outside of Indian the Kabirvad (21°45'44"N, 73°8'33"E) Delta, and is one of the country’s 550 years ago. When recorded by the botanical circles, but it is indeed one on the Narmada River. It is also the most famous trees. British writer and traveller James Forbes of the world’s superlative organisms. tree with the broadest canopy in the There are still other giant banyans in 1772, he described it as “forming a It was planted more than six centuries world, with a maximum horizontal out there: there are many more in canopy of verdant foliage impenetrable ago by a woman named Thimmamma. spread of 203 metres. This tree has India that are of great size and there to a tropic sun, extending over a She is remembered for her devotion as a substantial temple within that could be even larger trees hiding circumference of two thousand feet…”. a wife – she performed self-immolation, occupies 15 percent of the interior. in the world’s tropical rainforests, This tree is also identified as that or sati, by throwing herself on her If we do not subtract this from our unknown to humanity. visited by Alexander the Great’s army 2,300 years ago and described by his lieutenant Nearchus. If this is correct, it means that the tree is also among the very oldest living things on the planet.

Measurements During the course of a long-term project documenting notable Indian trees, I encountered several of these giant banyans and was instantly enraptured. I investigated every mention of giant banyans and, to the best of my ability, performed pilgrimages to see them. It occurred to me that nobody had yet utilised the recent online availability of The sage and poet Kabir, whose writings global aerial photography to measure are sacred to Sikhs, Hindus and Muslims, the two-dimensional area covered by visited a giant banyan on an island in the these trees. Narmada River of Gujarat 550 years ago. I identified three giant banyans across India as candidates for the largest tree. The outline of the tree’s crown was traced online as accurately above Bangladesh: Two children right A hollow trunk of the take a break from playing under banyan in a rainforest on as possible, subject to the quality and a banyan tree in a village. In Interview Island, India: The the Gujarati language, banya name “Banyan” was originally age of the aerial photography available means “grocer/merchant”, not given to F. benghalensis and as well as the colour and textural “tree”. The Portuguese picked comes from India, where early up the word to refer specifically travellers observed that the contrast with neighbouring objects. to Hindu merchants and passed shade of the tree was frequented This polygon trace could be used to it along to the English as early as by banias, or Indian traders 1599 with the same meaning calculate area and maximum width.

PHOTOS ON SPREAD, FROM LEFT: MOHAMMAD MONIRUZZAMAN/CORBIS, KONRAD WOTHE/MINDEN PICTURES/CORBIS 44 45 The World’s Biggest Trees A fascinating comparison 21°45'44"N, 73°8'33"E } of the blueprints of iconic India Kabirvad manmade structures and The main building satellite images of three of the biggest trees in the of the Taj Mahal 2 2 • Actual Area 17,520 m world, all depicted to scale 4,225 m • Overall Area 20,985 m2 to show the magnitude of the • Area of Canopy Gaps 3,465 m2 great banyans of India. • Maximum Crown Spread 202 m

NEPAL New Delhi

BHUTAN Taj Mahal

BANGLADESH

Online Map Servers INDIA

1 BHUVAN: An online satellite imagery resource from the Indian Space Research Organisation: http://bhuvan3.nrsc.gov.in/bhuvan/ —

2 GOOGLE EARTH: The most popular “digital globe” software through which you can access many other geographical databases: London www.google.com/earth The O2 — 104,634 m2 22°33'39"N, 88°17'12"E 3 WIKIMAPIA: The Great Banyan A worldwide digital map that you can contribute to: www.wikimapia.org • Actual Area 16,531 m2 — • Overall Area 16,531 m2 • Area of Canopy Gaps 0 m2 4 LANDMARK TREES OF INDIA: • Maximum Crown Spread 199 m An outreach ecology reference on almost a thousand of India’s notable trees, with a special section on banyans: SRI www.outreachecology.com/landmark LANKA —

5 EARTHPOINT CALCULATOR: An online tool to help you determine area and perimeter from mapping data: 14°1'41"N, 78°19'30"E www.earthpoint.us/shapes.aspx Thimmamma Marrimanu

• Actual Area 19,107 m2 • Overall Area 20,191 m2 2 • Area of Canopy Gaps 1,082 m Singapore • Maximum Crown Spread 184 m Marina Bay Sands (Main Building/Hotel) 20m 581,400 m2 and the tallest flowering plant on the planet is a Tasmanian eucalypt in the wilderness of Tasmania that is rarely visited and known to few. The banyan trees can, and should, serve as magnets for visitors. They are sites for religious pilgrimage and the tourist trade might provide a sustainable livelihood for the people nearby. They provide essential shade, wildlife habitat, clean air and a welcome change of scenery. Even the largest and most ancient trees need attention and care in our rapidly changing world. However, the strange architecture of these banyans forces us to think about living things in a new way. It struck me that the presence of a large temple inside the Kabirvad banyan shouldn’t be viewed as damage to the tree – it also represents the presence of a devoted group of caretakers who value this tree with perpetual religious strength. What inspires me most about these trees is the sense of participation, sharing and equality they demonstrate to humans. Many of the world’s largest trees are found in wilderness settings and are difficult to share with others. The banyans, by contrast, are easily accessible to millions of people and can be experienced, appreciated and studied by people at all levels of physical ability. Most importantly, the ancient human history of the banyans provides proof that people care, and will continue to care for, these trees as long as the tropical sun beats down Science from overhead. They are expansive not above By 1634, English From a scientific perspective, Wikipedia’s GeoHack, Bhuvan, Google arithmetic problem (upon every square They may very well be the most only in size, but also in spirit. ag writers began to tell of the banyan tree. Eventually superlative trees can shed light on the Earth or Wikimapia), and calculate metre within the largest banyan, there structurally complex trees on Earth. “banyan” became the name physiology and evolution of plants the areas for yourself. If you get the would need to be more than 0.078 of the tree itself. The banyan tree is also considered and can also serve as living archives chance to visit these trees, why not cubic metres of wood), but conducting Human Connection sacred and is called “Vat Vriksha” in Sanskrit recording historical events in their use a smartphone to record your path this comparison would be fiendishly The banyan trees can offer an YD BAR-NESS is a conservation ecologist physical structure. as you walk the perimeter of the tree difficult using today’s technology. accessible and fruitful way for humans based in Fremantle, Western Australia. As As a citizen science project, you and share it online? The wood volume measurements to meet superlative trees. They can, a scientist, he specialises in climbing trees can get involved in refining the There’s a hypothesis out there that performed for other trees are done and do, serve as unique destinations, to explore the canopy biodiversity and as a conservationist, he seeks to use geography measurement of these trees. You can these trees are actually even larger with models of cones and cylinders classrooms and meeting spaces. By and photography to create environmental scout and trace these trees for yourself in cubic metric wood volume than the that would fail to capture the curving, contrast, the world’s tallest tree is education materials. using an online map server (such as famed giant sequoia trees. It’s a simple interlocking structure of the banyans. jealously guarded in a secret location www.outreachecology.com

48 ROBERT SCHLESINGER/DPA/CORBIS 49