bo tree

bo tree or pipal (pē`pəl), fig tree (Ficus religiosa) of India held sacred by the Buddhists, who believe that Gautama received enlightenment under a bo tree at Bodh Gaya. A slip of this tree was planted at Anuradhapura to become one of the oldest known trees. The bo tree attains great size and age; the leaves, which hang from long, flexible petioles, rustle in the slightest breeze. Pipal is also spelled peepul or pipul. The bo tree is classified in the division Magnoliophyta, class Magnoliopsida, order Urticales, family Moraceae.

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bodhi tree

 or bo tree

In Buddhism, the fig tree under which the Buddha sat when he attained enlightenment (bodhi) at Bodh Gaya (near Gaya, India). The tree growing on the site now is believed to be a descendant of the original, planted from a cutting of a tree in Sri Lanka that had been propagated from the original; both trees are sites of pilgrimage for Buddhists. The bo tree or a representation of its leaf has often been used as a symbol of the Buddha.