Historical documents reveal that this banyan (Ficus Benghalensis) was planted as a four foot sapling in 1925. The tree was given to Thomas Edison by Harvey Firestone. This specimen is one of the largest ficus trees in the continental U.S. At one point, this tree was listed as a Florida Champion tree. A Florida Champion tree is the largest of the species in Florida. However, since it is not native to Florida, it was removed from the list. When the tree was planted, it was hoped that it would provide a natural source of rubber. Ficus trees produce a fair amount of latex which is used in the production of rubber.
Thomas Edison, Henry Ford and Harvey Firestone were concerned about America’s dependence on foreign sources for rubber for its industrial enterprises. The three men formed the Edison Botanica Research Corporation in 1927. Under Edison’s leadership, the corporation sought a source of rubber that could be grown and produced quickly in the U.S. in the event of a shortage in the foreign supply. Many of the trees on the property were used in experiments for this purpose.
Thomas Edison was named the 20th Century “Man of the Millennium” by LIFE magazine. He is probably best known for perfecting the light bulb. But there were many, many more inventions. Edison’s favorite invention was the phonograph. During his remarkable career, Thomas Edison was awarded 1093 U.S. patents. He was granted a patent for every year for 65 years.
This cache is available 9:00 – 5:30 daily, except for major holidays.
To receive credit for this virtual cache, please message the cache owner the answers to the following questions. Please do not post your answers in your log, message me. Please do post a picture of you and your group or your GPS near the Banyon tree.
Waypoint 1 –posted coordinates - What is in the left hand of the statue of Edison?
Waypoint 2. This is not a Strangler Fig. What is it?
Waypoint 3. A. What kind of tree is this? B. What two features on the trunk of this tree make it different from other trees?
Virtual Rewards 2.0 - 2019/2020
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between June 4, 2019 and June 4, 2020. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 2.0 on the Geocaching Blog.