Amazing tree

[reaperman]

Below are two pictures of a tree I recently got the privilege of seeing on a trip to Maui. The tree is called a Banyan tree, and was planted in the 1800's. The age is the tree is just under 150 years old, which is accurate because the date was recorded when the tree was first planted. The tree covers an entire small city block in the center of the town, Lahaina. What is interesting about this tree is it looks like many separate trees instead of one particular tree. I guess new "trees" shoot up from the main root system of the main tree which keep spreading horizontal. Resulting in dozens of satellite trees which also grow to enormous sizes. Its impossible to get a picture of the entire tree, its just one of those things you must see in person. The second picture is only about 1/3 of the tree

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<a href="http://s474.photobucket.com/albums/rr103/reaperman112/?action=view&current=100_0841.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i474.photobucket.com/albums/rr103/reaperman112/100_0841.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

 

[tomtrees58]

swett we have there here in st pete fla tom trees

 

[Joshlaugh]

Nice picture, I saw similar trees last summer when I was on the Big Island. They were impressive

 

[husky455rancher]

wow thats a weird lookin tree. id like to cut that down lol. na its too cool lookin to cut

 

[ericjeeper]

My god don't let Harry see that.. All it will take is for someone to say it is locust.. Then down it comes. LOL
That dude is a monster for sure. I wonder what the root ball would look like?

 

[flotek]

looks to be alot of firewood there

 

[Raymond]

We don't get the privilege of cool trees like that around here. Damn the luck.

 

[ngzcaz]

We were there a few years ago and snapped a couple of pics. A local told us of one of the steers that go out on the ledges on the north end of the island fell in, a friend of his was in a nearby boat and was going to haul him in for the meat ( finders keepers I guess ) but a 15 foot tiger shark beat him to it.

 

[mga]

We were there a few years ago and snapped a couple of pics. A local told us of one of the steers that go out on the ledges on the north end of the island fell in, a friend of his was in a nearby boat and was going to haul him in for the meat ( finders keepers I guess ) but a 15 foot tiger shark beat him to it.

heh...that was one happy shark.

 

[ngzcaz]

Tigers are the ones that seem to be around Hawaii and a few of them get people as well as steers. Another knucklehead in a speedboat was driving in the area where the humpback whales were raising their young and sightseeing boats were all over the place. Its a no wake area under penalty of law. He ran over the top of a baby whale at about 50 knots. The mother tried to keep the sharks away but they got him anyway.

They got the guy and he paid a hefty fine.. Back to the tree, looks like it may be a little tough to split.

 

[avalancher]

That really is pretty neat. I can honestly say that if someone didnt tell me, I would have never guessed that is just one tree growing.
Thanks for the pics!Been a lot of places in this world, but never made it to Hawaii.

 

[Wood Doctor]

I know this is hard to believe, but I think that there is actually a bigger Banyan tree than the one you show here growing in Naples, Florida. I have seen it several times.

These trees are truly remarkable.

 

[thejdman04]

Nice pics, Hard to believe thats one tree.

 

[ngzcaz]

Alexander the Great was said to have camped under one and it provided shelter for his 7,000 troops.

:jawdrop:

 

[Wood Doctor]

Nice pics, Hard to believe thats one tree.

Here's another thing interesting about the Banyan tree. When a branch grows outwards horizonally, the tree sends down supporting branches from that branch to hold it up above ground and keep the main branch from breaking off from the trunk. These branches embed themselves into the ground and then take root, feeding itself even more. Thus the tree can grow horizontally and reach an enormous width that is equalled by no other species.

Gasp!

 

[reaperman]

Here's another thing interesting about the Banyan tree. When a branch grows outwards horizontally, the tree sends down supporting branches from that branch to hold it up above ground and keep the main branch from breaking off from the trunk. These branches embed themselves into the ground and then take root, feeding itself even more. Thus the tree can grow horizontally and reach an enormous width that is equalled by no other species.

Gasp!

As I took another look at the pictures of the tree I had taken. I found this one that shows what you are talking about where the tree will grow a vertical support for a horizontal branch. Look to the left of the guy wearing sunglasses and to the right of the guy in the red shirt and you will see the supporting branch. Keep in mind all of the "trees" you see in the picture are really only one tree.

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