本城美樹 amazing trees in hong kong】榕樹公公廟細葉榕 chinese banyan & “banyan granny temple”, aberdeen

孤陋寡聞，不久之前方知道竟有如此可愛的廟宇。榕樹公公廟，位於香港仔舊大街的小型廟宇群落之中，在斜坡前端。

香港有如此多的榕樹，有廟供奉絕對「受得起」。

廟的頭頂橫伸這棵細葉榕，果然有點老伯拱著背的型態。受到供奉，身上又多了紅色彩帶。稍微關注的是樹受著經年香火燻薰的影響，但觀乎外貌，這位榕樹公公老當益壯。

廟的歷史最多四五十年，因為考究香港仔的掌故，除了「大王公廟」，斜路上其他的廟如榕樹公公廟1960年代並未存在。而參考幾年前一個機構舉辦的榕樹選舉結果，資料說這樹有百年歷史，希望日後可找到史料或圖片可證實。

這樹的美，不單是樹本身，更在於民間文化宗教和人情與歲月混成的街道風光。

this small altar is called banyan granny temple. it is not unusual for chinese to worship common items including plants and animals. chinese banyan is more of southern china, and with or without a physical temple, this species plays a major role in village lives and folk culture around this area. the most outstanding example in hong kong is the big square around tin hau temple at temple street, this public space for long has been affectionately known as the big old banyan – yung shue tau.

back to this tree and the temple. it is at the beginning of the slope by old main street aberdeen. the history of the temple could be as long as four to five decades, while some said the tree is a century old. i would like to find more evidence to support such saying. but no doubt the tree is a very mature one and it looks sturdy and healthy even though it does not stand upright. coincident or not, it assembles a granny with crooked back. the trunk is bent.

what is amazing about this chinese banyan is that on top of its green and lush crown and strong and thick body, it is also about how people pay their respect to some good old trees. the beauty around this tree is the mix of a plant life and the culture and history of human being.

從斜坡較上方看此樹 checking this tree from a higher point of the slope

細葉榕 chinese banyan (ficus microcarpa) – kingdom: plantae 植物界| (clade 演化支): eudicots 真雙子葉植物綱 | (clade 演化支): rosids 薔薇類植物 | order: rosales 薔薇目 | family: moraceae 桑科 | genus: ficus 榕屬 | species: f. microcarpa   (source: wiki)