Ban'ya, Nagy

See NAGY BANIA. Ban'yan Tree, n. ( Bot. ) The Ficus indica, a species of the gen. Ficus, q. v. It is regarded as a sacred tree by the Hindoos. Its branches produce long shoots, or aërial roots, which descend to the ground and penetrate the soil; so that, in course of time, a single tree becomes a vast umbrageous tent, supported by numerous columns. No fewer than 350 stems, each equalling in bulk the trunk of a large oak, and more than 3,000 smaller ones, have been counted in one example, covering a space sufficient to contain 7,000 persons. The fruit of the banyan is of a rich scarlet color, and about the size of a cherry; it is eaten by the monkeys, which live with birds and enormous bats in the thick forest of branches. The bark is a powerful tonic, and is much used by the Hindoo physicians. The white glutinous juice of the tree is used to relieve toothache, as an application to the soles of the feet when inflamed, and for making birdlime. Ficus elastic a , also a native of India, yields an inferior kind of caoutchouc. F. sycamorus, the Sycamore-fig, is said to have yielded the wood from which mummy-cases were made. Ban'yuls-sur-mer, a town of France, dep. PyrénéesOrientales, with a fishing-port on the Mediterranean, near the frontier of Spain. The celebrated wines of Grenache and Rancio are produced here. Pop . 1,676.