Gifts!

Look what i found in the back yard.....cool!

The Sacred Fig ~Ficus religiosa

 Those of you who made it to the Farm for Dad's memorial may have remembered seeing the Ficus religiosa almost leafless...well now look at it!  It has recovered nicely! Here is some info I found interesting...  

From Wikipedia:

    The Sacred Fig (Ficus religiosa) or Bo-Tree (from the Sinhala bo)[1] is a species of banyan fig native to Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, southwest China and Indochina.  leaves are cordate in shape with a distinctive extended tip; they are 10-17cm long and 8-12cm broad, with a 6-10cm petiole. The fruit is a small fig 1-1.5cm diameter, green ripening purple.

    The Bodhi tree and the Sri Maha Bodhi propagated from it are famous specimens of Sacred Fig. The known planting date of the latter, 288 BC, gives it the oldest verified age for any angiosperm plant.

    This plant is considered sacred by the followers of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism, and hence the name 'Sacred Fig' was given to it. Siddhartha Gautama is referred to have been sitting underneath a Bo-Tree when he was enlightened (Bodhi), or "awakened" (Buddha). Thus, the Bo-Tree is well-known symbol for happiness, prosperity, longevity and good luck. Today in India, Hindu sadhus still meditate below this tree, and in Theravada Buddhist Southeast Asia, the tree's massive trunk is often the site of Buddhist and animist shrines.

    The Bodhi Tree at the Mahabodhi Temple. Propagated from the Sri Maha Bodhi, which in turn is propagated from the original Bodhi Tree at this location.

Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Rosales
Family: Moraceae
Genus: Ficus
Species: F. religiosa