HIDING OUT IN THE ROOTS

I  love this old tree.  I can imagine hiding out among the roots. It is called a Moreton  Bay  Fig, and it is native to  Australia. Moretan By is in  Queensland. The tree is reputed to have been brought to the U.S. by a sailor in 1876. amd planted in Santa Barbara, California. It measured 176 feet in 1997.

This is an evergreen banyan tree, also known as a  strangler fig. Its seeds live as epiphytes until the roots establish contact with the ground. Then it enlarges and strangles its host, eventually becoming a tree itself. Some of the roots reach over 15 feet. Many specimens reach tremendous  size and can be seen in public gardens only. Its roots feed on the surface, where nutrients are poor and it takes a tremendous amount of water to keep it healthy.