Mary Ann Luptak, age 12, of Gary,

Where does the banyan tree grow?

The amazing banyan tree is a native of India and the largest one known grows on the island of Ceylon at the southern tip of India  This biggest banyan is like a sizable grove of trees, for it has 350 large trunks and more than 3,000 small ones  Yet all are part of the same tree,

Seeds of the fig‑like fruit are often dropped by birds high in a palm tree  A stranded seed sends down a root which anchors into the ground and grows branches  The branches curve down to touch the ground and their tips grow roots  Each of these anchored branches then becomes another trunk of the banyan tree.