The unusual fig tree growing upside-down in the ruins of an ancient Roman town

The unusual fig tree growing upside-down in the ruins of an ancient Roman town

The ancient ruins of Baiae, near the modern city of Bacoli, in Italy are home to a botanical oddity known as the upside-down fig tree.

image

image

Looking at the tenacious tree growing out of the ceiling of an ancient Roman archway, it’s easy to see why it’s called the upside-down tree. It is literally inverted, growing toward the ground, which is quite rare. No one knows exactly how the fig tree ended up there, or how long it has been growing for, but one thing is for sure – despite its bizarre location, the fig tree if Baia is growing stronger every year, and sometimes it even bears fruit.
image
The common fig tree (Ficus carica) was one of the first plants ever cultivated by humans, with fig fossils having been found in the Jordan Valley dating back to 9400 BC. So it is rather fitting for this particular gravity-defying tree to be located in the ancient Roman town of Baiae.
image
Fig trees usually prefer dry and sunny places, but their strong roots and the ability to thrive on little water allow the plant to support itself in inhospitable places, and the upside-down tree is proof of that.
image
Once a lively retreat for Rome’s ruling class, Baiae is now an archaeological park that attracts tourists from all over the world. In recent years, the upside-down fig tree has become one of the site’s biggest attractions. After all, it’s proof that nature always finds a way.
image

image
The upside-down fig tree is just one of the many botanical oddities we’ve featured in the last 15 years, amazing places like The Devil’s Gardens or Saskatchewan’s Crooked Bush.

Comments

No comments yet. Why don’t you start the discussion?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *