Black and White. Photography by Minerva Bloom. Organic Abstract of the roots from a ficus or banyan tree. A banyan is a fig that starts its life as an epiphyte when its seeds germinate in the cracks and crevices on a host tree (or on structures like buildings and bridges). "Banyan" often refers to the Ficus tree, though the term has been generalised to include all figs that share a unique life cycle. The seeds of banyans are dispersed by fruit-eating birds. The seeds germinate and send down roots towards the ground, they are aerial roots, and may envelope part of the host tree or building structure with their roots, giving them the casual name of "strangler fig." The "strangling" growth habit is found in a number of tropical forest species that compete for light.