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Ficus Aurea
Banyan trees are a type of Fig tree. Banyan trees start out in life as epiphytes (air plants). The seeds are deposited and germinate on a host tree, but can also grow on buildings and other structures. They are sometimes called Strangler Figs. They have an aerial root system. After germination they send down prop roots into the ground. These roots envelope part of the host tree or building structure. When some of these prop roots get woody and thick enough they are considered part of the trunk. This variety has paired fig fruit. The leaves vary in size and shape. There are quite a few species of Banyan tree. I believe this one to be the Ficus Aurea.
Ficus Aurea ranges from Florida, across the northern Caribbean to Mexico, and south across Central America. These particular ones I saw were on Key West and they present in a range of south Florida ecosystems, including coastal hardwood hammocks, cabbage palm hammocks, tropical hardwood hammocks and shrublands, temperate hardwood hammocks and shrublands and along watercourses. In other areas they are found in tropical deciduous forest, tropical semi-evergreen forest, tropical evergreen forest, cloud forest and in aquatic or subaquatic habitats.
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