Living root bridges in India


Perhaps there is only one place that has a bridge like this in the world. These amazing bridges is in Cherrapunji, India, made from the roots of the Ficus elastica tree.

This tree produces a series of secondary roots from higher up its trunk and can comfortably perch atop huge boulders along the riverbanks, or even in the middle of the rivers themselves.



In order to make a rubber tree’s roots grow in the right direction – say, over a river – the Khasis, a tribe in Meghalaya, use betel nut trunks, sliced down the middle and hollowed out, to create root-guidance systems.

The thin, tender roots of the rubber tree, prevented from fanning out by the betel nut trunks, grow straight out. When they reach the other side of the river, they’re allowed to take root in the soil. Given enough time, a sturdy, living bridge is produced.




Source - Slightlywarped


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