Chinese Banyan

A common indoor plant, the Chinese banyan can be used as a tree in mild Mediterranean climates as well as in subtropical and tropical climates. It has shiny, small leaves, pale bark, and pendulous branch tips. In humid, warm areas it becomes a very large tree with aerial roots that develop from the branches; many of these will root into the ground and become trunks, producing a thicket-like effect. Roots in the ground can appear on the surface, expand far from the base of the tree, and become invasive. In drier desert and Mediterranean climates, the tree can be an elegant addition to the landscape, much more modest and neat in its growth habit, although roots can still become problems for pavement, sewer pipes, and water lines.