The strangler fig is found in the Americas, Asia, and Africa.  Strangler fig seeds land on tree branches and tree trunks.
  
The seed sends out roots which grow downward.  As the seed sends out more roots, they wrap tightly around the trunk and branches of the tree.  The roots grow so low that they grow into the ground.  As the roots rap tighter around the tree, they cut off the flow of water, nutrients, and light. The original tree dies and the strangler fig becomes a tree. 

The largest strangler fig is the Indian banyan.  It can grow to be one hundred feet! 
  
All plants in the rain forest are amazing but the strangler fig is one of the most unusual.