The tree featured in the photographs is a giant banyan tree at a park near Yangshuo, China. I use the banyan as a metaphor in the book, of the one flesh nature of man and wife. The roots of the banyan tree grow down from the limbs of the tree itself, and embed themselves in the ground. Then they nourish the tree and grow strong themselves, over time looking like small trees themselves. A large banyan can look like a small forest.

Since the woman came forth from man, being made of his flesh, she reminds me of the roots of the banyan, which come from the tree’s own flesh, and help it live and grow. So I see the banyan as a picture of marriage. The two united as one.

Anyway, even if you’re not fond of the metaphor, it’s an amazing tree, and the one pictured is one of the largest in China. The biggest banyan in the world is in India.