The tree traditionally associated with the Buddha’s enlightenment is the sacred fig, Ficus religiosa.
Buddhist tradition says Siddhartha Gautama meditated beneath this tree at Bodh Gaya and attained awakening there. The particular tree at the site has been replaced or propagated several times, but it remains an important pilgrimage focus. The word “Bodhi” means awakening, so a Bodhi tree is a sacred fig connected with the Buddha’s enlightenment or with another Buddhist figure’s awakening.
The sacred fig is sometimes mistakenly called a banyan because both are large South Asian trees, but they are different species. The sal tree is associated with other events in the Buddha’s traditional biography, including his birth at Lumbini and death at Kushinagar in some accounts. Buddhist communities have planted Bodhi trees throughout Asia.