Barbados Bearded Fig Tree Story

The national tree of the tropical Caribbean island of Barbados, is in the Moraceae - Breadfruit family. The scientific name is ficus citrifolia. The Bearded Fig Tree, it's common name, does not produce any edible fruit, but it's aerial roots are an outstanding feature. Once these stringy roots become established in the soil, over time they grow to the size of "mini-trunks", which then allow the tree further stability to spread far and wide. This video, tells of how the tree's common name was derived, as a result of a Portuguese visit in the 1500s. Trail guide, Hiking Victor, is sharing the national tree story, on the 3 hour Eco Adventures, Bathsheba Trail.
Visit http://www.ecoadventuresbarbados.com

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Travel & Events

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• Barbados
• vacation
• adventure
• fig tree
• Caribbean
• hiking

[ecoadventues]

@ericjungleboy thank you for your comment. One school of thought suggest this origin of the name Barbados. Others hold the view that the word "Barbados" is plural for bearded men. now the Amerindian men "Arawak and or Carib are without beards, and so this school is persuaded that the bearded men are of Africa. Weather the beards are of men or of our national tree, the commonality is beards. On a different note, perhaps you have heard of the "Barbadianos" in Brazil who went there to work in 1900

[ericjungleboy]

How interesting. I speak Portuguese, but that never occured to me. Barbados means "bearded ones", so i guess that's referring to the trees.