Ficus mysorensis

A few days ago, I mentioned that banyan trees can grow to hundreds of feet tall. This is another large fig tree, a Mysore fig whose scientific name is Ficus mysorensis. This species is a native tree of Mysore, India. Mysore was the capital of the Kingdom of Mysore until 1947 at which time the Kingdom of Mysore was changed to the State of Mysore. The State of Mysore was changed to Karnataka with the passing of the States Reorganization Act in 1956 but was not renamed until 1973. Mysore is now the second largest city of Karnataka in southern India.

One of the distinctive feature of this species is that their roots can grow quite high above ground. Big trees like these can vie to be named champion. A 115 year old Mysore fig in Estero, Florida (near Ft. Myers) earned the title of Florida State Champion with a height of 97 feet. Its roots protrude a good 6 feet above ground. Although not a champion, this tree is quite impressive.