Great Banyan - tree or forest?

At first glance, this tree seems, rather, the forest than single trees. However, you see the crown, with a circumference of about 350 meters, a single plant - Ficus benghalensis.

Indian Botanical Garden is located near the town of Calcutta Hauri. Scientists have determined that the age of the Great Banyan about 200-250 years. Alas, accurate information about the tree, there is little - just a few recordings made in the late nineteenth century. After a couple of hurricanes in the late nineteenth century, the main trunk of the banyan tree began to crack, and in the 25th year of the last century, from a lightning strike, finally broke into two parts. The result of this was the removal of the main trunk and the tree became a klonialnuyu colony. Thanks to the aerial roots that continue to grow, the area of ​​the crown already exceeds half a hectare.