A banyan tree starts as a shrub; as it forms the canopy it develops aerial roots that hang down from the tree limbs; when the aerial roots touch the ground they become another “trunk” of the tree. In Hindu religion, the banyan tree is considered sacred and represents eternal life because of its ever-expanding branches.

Lahaina Banyan is located in Courthouse Square in downtown Lahaina. It was planted in 1873 by Maui sheriff William O. Smith to mark the 50th anniversary of Protestant missionary work in Hawaii. It is the largest tree of its kind in the Hawaiian Islands and Maui’s major landmark. Lahaina Banyan has 12 trunks and several hundred drooping branches; it is 60 feet high, covers two thirds of an acre and has a symmetrical shape as a result of community efforts.