Ficus Benghalensis
 

The Great Maui Banyan
Lahaina Town, Maui, Hawaii

It was on April 24, 1873 when she first settled near Lahaina's courthouse as William Owen Smith, the Sheriff of old Lahaina town, firmly patted the soil around her roots. With cheers from the small gathering, the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of protestant missionaries arriving in Lahaina was in full swing.  Above her the Hawaiian flag waved proudly in the salty, ocean breeze.

Among the many festive gatherings under her spreading banyan canopy was the royal ball of 1886 as King Kamehameha III's birthday was celebrated.  Twelve years later she watched a poignant ceremony as the American flag replaced the Hawaiian flag.  Hawaii had become a territory of the United States.

Through the years, gardeners from the Japanese community hung large pickle jars, full of water, beneath aerial roots sprouting from the banyan's long limbs. Hanging just out of their reach, the tree's roots lengthened until they reached the prepared earth bed. Once there, the light roots began to thicken, and eventually formed a series of supporting columns for the ever-lengthening branches. More than twelve decades later, standing 60 feet tall and measuring nearly one-fourth of a mile in circumference, this one tree covers more than two thirds of an acre.

But popularity has taken a toll on this historic banyan.  The scars on her trunk bear silent witness to the many passers by over the years.  Sections of bark have broken away, torn edges smoothed over by countless visitors that climb and sit upon her have left permanent reminders of their visit.   Maui County's arborist committee is working to make life easier for this living treasure.  Prohibitions have been imposed to help in the tree's  growth and a regular watering program is in place to offset a nagging drought.

In the evening her branches creak slowly in the breeze, as if to sing a soft lullaby, while she gently cradles playful children in her arms.  The fading sun casts patterns of orange and yellow through her lacey fingers.  And as the sun sets in old Lahaina town, a thousand mynah birds join in a grand chorus and sing of Maui's Great Banyan Tree.