Volume 4, Page 85

The Banyan Tree

original: "榕" (Rong). The Chinese Banyan (Ficus microcarpa). It is one of the most iconic trees of Southern China, famous for its massive canopy and "walking" aerial roots.

Banyan trees are extremely numerous throughout the provinces of Guangdong and Guangxi original: "兩廣" (Liangguang), referring to the "Two Guangs.". Although it is considered a wood of little practical use useless timber wood that is not suitable for construction or fine carpentry due to its twisted or soft nature, its dense foliage provides essential shade for travelers, and its leaves can be used to fertilize the farm fields.

As the wood grows very old, it is said to transform into a substance resembling Kynam incense original: "伽南香" (jianan xiang). This refers to high-quality agarwood or aloeswood. While the Banyan is not a source of true agarwood, ancient texts often attributed aromatic properties to the decaying heartwood of very old trees.. Its roots can grow to be as large as a house.

The tree is found throughout southern Jiangxi and the Ganzhou region. However, if it is moved even slightly further north, it will wither as soon as it encounters the cold. Because of this, there is a local proverb: "The Banyan does not cross Ji" original: "榕不過吉" (Rong bu guo Ji). This refers to Ji’an in Jiangxi province, which served as a traditional botanical boundary; the tree rarely survived the frosts further north of this line..

Some people believe that this tree is the same as the Kai tree original: "愷木" (kaimu) found in Sichuan original: "蜀" (Shu). However, the scholar Su Zimei original: "蘇子美" (Su Zimei), the courtesy name of the Song dynasty poet Su Shunqin., who was a native of Sichuan and spent time in both Huizhou and Qiongzhou Hainan Island, never wrote a single word suggesting they were the same. Furthermore, Li Tiaoyuan original: "李調元" (1734–1803), a famous Qing dynasty scholar and geographer. describes the Banyan tree in great detail in his Notes on the Southern Yue original: "南越筆記" (Nanyue Biji), yet he also does not identify it as the Kai tree. Li was also a native of Sichuan and would have been familiar with the local flora of his home.