Why did Thomas Edison plant a banyan tree sapling at his winter residence in 1926? You guessed it, there was an experiment involved. Native to India, it is now a massive, beloved tree at the Edison Ford Winter Estates in Ft Myers, Florida. While this isn’t an “escape from the lab” story, it is sort of a “took over the lab” story! Debbie Hughes, the Horticultural Director, explains what happened. Also, we dig into the mythology of fig trees - specifically “strangler” figs - and their critical ecological and cultural importance with rainforest ecologist and author Mike Shanahan. Guests Debbie Hughes Horticultural Director, Edison Ford Winter Estates https://www.edisonfordwinterestates.org/ Mike Shanahan Author,  Gods, Wasps, and Stranglers: The Secret History and Redemptive Future of Fig Trees https://underthebanyan.blog/about/ Tree Story Short Sashil Sachdeva Vadodara, India Podcast Consultant Martha Douglas-Osmundson Music Diccon Lee, www.deeleetree.com Artwork Dahn Hiuni, www.dahnhiuni.com/home Follow on Facebook @thisoldtreepod Instagram @thisoldtreepod Website thisoldtree.buzzsprout.com We want to hear about the favorite tree in your life! To submit a 1-3 minute “Tree Story Short” for consideration to be aired on This Old Tree, record the story on your phone’s voice memo app and email to: [email protected] This episode was written in part at the What Cheer Writers Club, Providence, RI https://whatcheerclub.spaces.nexudus.com/about