A banyan, also spelled "banian",[1]<span> is a </span>fig<span> that begins its life as an </span>epiphyte,[2]<span> i. e. a plant that grows on another plant, when its </span>seed<span> germinates in a crack or crevice of a host tree or human edifice. "Banyan" often specifically denominates </span>Ficus benghalensis<span> (the "Indian banyan"), which is the </span>national tree<span> of the </span>Republic of India,[3]<span> though the name also has been generalized to denominate all figs that share a common life cycle and used </span>systematically<span> in </span>taxonomy<span> to denominate the </span>subgenus Urostigma.<span>[4]</span>Aerial roots<span> are roots above the ground. They are almost always </span>adventitious<span>. They are found in diverse plant species, including </span>epiphytes<span> such as </span>orchids<span>, tropical coastal swamp trees such as </span>mangroves<span>, the resourceful </span>banyan<span> trees, the warm-temperate rainforest rātā (</span>Metrosideros robusta) and pōhutukawa (M. excelsa<span>) trees of </span>New Zealand<span> and </span>vines<span> such as Common Ivy (</span>Hedera helix<span>) and </span>poison ivy<span> (</span>Toxicodendron radicans<span>). </span>
