Lahaina Banyan CourtThe largest banyan tree in the United States — planted in 1873 and shading nearly an acre of Lahaina's historic Courthouse Square on Maui's west side

Lahaina was the capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom in the early 1800s and later a roaring whaling port, and its old Courthouse Square has been the town's civic center the whole time. At its middle is the banyan — a single Indian banyan (Ficus benghalensis) planted on April 24, 1873 by Maui's sheriff to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the arrival of the first Protestant missionaries. Banyans drop aerial roots that thicken into new trunks, and over a century and a half this one spread into a grove-like canopy from one tree: roughly 60 feet tall, with more than a dozen major trunks, shading nearly two-thirds of an acre. It's the largest banyan tree in the United States.

In August 2023 the catastrophic Lahaina wildfire swept through the historic town and scorched the banyan along with much of the waterfront. The tree was badly burned but survived; arborists nursed it through aeration, watering, and careful pruning, and it has since pushed out new leaves — becoming one of the most visible emblems of Lahaina's loss and its recovery. Visiting today means coming to a community still rebuilding: the square and the tree endure, but treat the area as the sacred, healing place it is. Come quietly, stay on the paths, learn the history at the adjacent restored Courthouse, and support the town's returning businesses.