Impressive baobab trees can surprise even a seasoned botanist. Where else could such an amazing creation of nature grow, if not in Africa, famous for its strange flora and fauna? These mighty trees live a very long time and they have adapted to survive even in desert conditions. It is really very interesting to admire them.
Facts about baobabs
- Like most other deciduous trees, they shed their leaves for the winter. True, not because of the cold, but because of the heat and dryness.
- In winter, that is, the driest time, baobabs “lose weight” - they decrease in volume, as they begin to consume the moisture stored in the trunk.
- Old baobabs are usually hollow inside. One of these even has a hotel room.
- In the African country of Zimbabwe there is a small train station built inside a giant old baobab tree.
- Large baobab flowers reach 20 centimeters in diameter, but their lifespan is very short - only one night, after which they wither and fall off.
- Baobab wood is porous - this helps it store a lot of water. And thanks to this, baobabs are not cut down, since it is difficult to build something durable from such material.
- Baobabs have fruits. Outwardly, they resemble shaggy cucumbers or melons. By the way, they are quite edible, and monkeys readily feed on them. These fruits taste like fresh ginger.
- In Madagascar, the baobab is considered a national symbol ().
- The girth of the trunks of the oldest and largest baobabs known to us reaches 50 meters.
- Baobabs are pollinated not by bees, but by bats, which feed on nectar.
- The bark stripped from this tree grows back very quickly.
- A felled baobab may well take root again and continue to exist in this form.
- It is not known for certain how long baobabs live. At least a thousand years, but some scientists call the period 4 thousand years or more.
- Some African tribes roast baobab fruits and then brew what they get, resulting in a drink that is vaguely similar to coffee.
- From the ash of baobab wood, African healers make remedies for colds and other diseases, and the bark is used to make fishing nets and ropes.
- Informally, the baobab is sometimes called the lemonade tree, since its fruits, dried, crushed and dissolved in water, allow you to prepare a drink reminiscent of lemonade.
- The baobab is depicted on the coats of arms of two countries - the Central African Republic (CAR) and Senegal.
- Young baobab leaves are edible. Some Africans use them as one of the ingredients for salad.
- This is one of the few trees that does not have growth rings. That is why it is difficult to determine the age of the baobab.
- Most often, the baobab tree is only three times as tall as it is wide, but there are exceptions.
Baobab is unique in everything: in size, proportions, life expectancy. Even its excellent survival rate will be the envy of any plant. Baobab is an amazing tree. He is the most prominent representative of the African savannahs, which live for an amazingly long time in the arid tropics.
The largest baobab tree
Reaching a good ten meters in girth of the trunk, the baobab cannot boast of any particular height: 18-25 meters is its usual height. Although there are individual representatives of this species that have broken all records: in 1991, one baobab was included in the famous Guinness Book, reaching almost 55 meters in trunk girth, other specimens exceeded the 150-meter height limit. And there are even legends about the lifespan of this giant: it is officially recognized that the tree lives from 1000 to 6000 years. The trunk ends abruptly at the top, spreading thick branches to the sides and forming a crown up to 40 meters in diameter. This is a deciduous plant and during the period of shedding its leaves it resembles a baobab tree turned upside down. The tree, the photo of which is presented, confirms its funny appearance. But it can be fully explained by the growing conditions on dry African lands. The thick trunk is an accumulator of nutrients and water reserves that the baobab needs. The tree has a second name - Adansonia palmata. This “name” combines the characteristic appearance of 5-7-fingered leaves with the perpetuation of the name of the French biological researcher Michel Adanson.
The Legend of the Capricious Baobab
It was the associations that came to mind with a tree whose roots are located at the top instead of the crown, most likely, that served as fertile ground for the birth of the legend about the origin of the baobab. They say that when the world was created, the Creator planted a tree in a deep valley, but the plant did not like the coolness and dampness of this place. The Creator heeded his requests and moved him to the mountain slopes, but the baobab did not like the winds generated in the gorges and blowing over the rocks. And then, tired of the endless whims of the tree, God tore it out of the ground and, turning it over, stuck its roots up in an arid valley. Until now, during the period of shedding its leaves, the baobab tree, with its entire appearance, reminds of the wrath of the gods - a tree that is not at all capricious, on the contrary, it has learned to survive and protect all living things around.
The incredible vitality of the tree is amazing: it quickly regenerates damaged bark, grows and bears fruit with a completely decomposed core or in its absence. People often use the hollow trunks of baobab trees for their needs. It is not uncommon to use baobab trunks for grain storage or as water reservoirs. They are adapted for housing by cutting out windows and this is facilitated by the rather soft core of the tree, which is vulnerable, however, to fungal infections. The cavities inside the tree, cleared of the core, have sufficient areas for arranging indoor spaces for various purposes. For example, in Kenya, a baobab grows, serving as a temporary shelter for wanderers, and in Zimbabwe there is a baobab bus station that can accommodate up to 40 people at a time. In Limpopo, a 6,000-year-old giant opened a baobab bar, which is incredibly popular and is a local landmark.
A tree for all occasions
The universal plant is unique in all its manifestations. Baobab flowers with a pleasant musky scent bloom in the evening, pollination occurs at night, and in the morning they
fall off. Baobab fruits, shaped like thick zucchini hanging on long stalks, are very tasty, high in vitamins and minerals, and can be equivalent in nutritional value to veal. On the outside they are covered with a fleecy skin. The local population appreciates them for their pleasant taste, rapid absorption by the body and ability to relieve fatigue. The seeds of the fruit are roasted, crushed and used to prepare a high-quality coffee substitute. The dried inner part of the fruit can smolder for a long time, driving away blood-sucking insects, and the ash is used to make oil (surprisingly!) for frying, as well as soap. The leaves of the tree are a storehouse of useful substances. They are used to make soups, salads and cold appetizers. The shoots of young asparagus have an excellent taste. Baobab is a tree whose pollen is an excellent base for making glue. Paper, coarse fabric, and twine, reminiscent of Russian hemp, are made from porous bark and soft wood.
Medicinal properties of baobab
Ash from combustion is not only a universal fertilizer, but also the main component for the production of very effective medicines for viral colds, fevers, dysentery, heart and vascular diseases, toothache, asthma, and insect bites. A tincture prepared from baobab leaves relieves kidney disease.
Among the wonderful representatives of African flora, the baobab occupies a leading position. The tree, a photo of which can be seen in the article, is an invaluable gift of nature.
The regions where baobabs grow can be called a real “wonder of the world.” The wood of this plant has an extremely soft and porous structure, which, after infection with a fungus, gradually collapses, forming huge voids. However, this does not particularly affect the viability of the tree; even if it is completely hollow inside, it can survive for several more decades. The natives of Africa have adapted to use this feature for practical purposes (for storing food and even arranging homes).
Where do baobabs grow?
In Africa, these giants grow only in arid tropical regions. As a rule, the immediate area is covered with grass, sparse bushes and trees, which are able to survive in conditions of a long hot period followed by the rainy season.
Baobab acclimatization has an interesting history. The tree, like a sponge, absorbs nutrients along with moisture, which is retained due to the wide trunk. Its diameter often reaches ten meters or more. It is worth noting that the widest sample from the family in question had a width of 54.5 meters and was listed in the Guinness Book of Records.
Peculiarities
Regardless of the area where baobabs grow, they are small in height compared to their width. This figure ranges from 17 to 25 meters. This configuration allows the tree to survive the burning rays of the sun.
At the same time, water in the plant is retained without evaporating using the bark, the thickness of which is about 100 millimeters. The rhizome plays a significant role in maintaining the desired microclimate; it spreads in several elements over tens of meters, collecting available moisture. It is noteworthy that in dry seasons, with excessive consumption of its own water reserves, the baobab tree slightly decreases in size, and after the rainy season it returns to its normal state.
Plant life
Where baobabs grow, interesting transformations are observed. During the dry season, the tree sheds its leaves and becomes like a plant with its roots sticking up. There is a belief among the local population that the baobab tree was punished by God for not wanting to live where it was intended.
After shedding its leaves, the tree begins to bloom (October-November). Round buds appear on the branches. At night they bloom, turning into large flowers (about 200 mm). The shoots are curved white petals with dark red stamens in the form of balls. The life span of a flower is only one night. In this short time, it manages to attract bats and fruit bats with its aroma. When they die, the remains of the shoots wither, emit an unpleasant odor and fall off.
Soon oval or round fruits appear, having a thick skin with hairs, containing sourish edible pulp. Baboons really like this filling, which is why Africans sometimes call the plant “breadfruit for monkeys.”
Vitality
We discussed above in what zone and where baobab grows. The following is some interesting information about this unique plant. The tree is distinguished by its survivability; although it has many internal holes, although it settles, gradually turning into a pile of fiber, it lives for several more tens, or even hundreds of years.
The bark of this plant has no less amazing properties. If it is completely torn off, the tree does not die, since the bark quickly grows back. Even after being cut down or damaged by elephants, remaining with one root, the plant will try to continue its growth, albeit in a lying position.
Scientists have not been able to establish the exact period of life of the baobab; all hypotheses tend to believe that the plant lives for at least a thousand years. It is worth noting that this tree does not have rings, and its exact age can only be determined using radiocarbon dating.
Application
On the mainland where the baobab grows, its purpose does not end as food for baboons and elephants. The inner part of the tree is used by local residents as warehouses. Other parts of the plant are also used:
- Bark is used to make fibers, which are then used to make belts, bags, sacks, and nets. From the ash, medicinal tinctures are obtained to treat various diseases.
- Shoots and foliage - young elements are eaten, like asparagus, the dry parts are used to prepare spices.
- Pulp. The fruit filling tastes like ginger and is used to prepare a soft drink. The ash from this part is used to produce oil, which is used to cook food.
- The seeds are eaten raw. A drink reminiscent of coffee is prepared from dry seeds.
- In addition, pollen, pulp and ash are used in cosmetology and for making glue.
In what country and where do baobabs grow? As already noted, the main habitat of these trees is tropical African savannas. Below are some interesting facts related to this unique plant:
- In winter, the regions where baobabs grow are too dry, so they shed their leaves.
- Some African tribes make glasses from the dried fruits of the tree.
- The pulp of the plant is used in Kenya to make sweets.
- In one night, a baobab flower manages to open, attract pollinators and wither, emitting an extremely unpleasant odor.
- The height of the plants in question does not exceed their diameter by more than 2-3 times.
- The baobab adorns the coats of arms of two states.
- In Zimbabwe, there is a bus station located inside a huge tree.
- The largest specimens reach a girth of 50 meters or more.
- The baobab tree is capable of storing more than 100 thousand liters of liquid inside itself.
- The vitamin C content in one fruit is identical to four oranges.
- The African baobab is pollinated by one of the species of bats that crash into the flowers, hunting for insects, and then spread the pollen on their bodies to other plants.
- The plant has no vegetation for nine months of the year, which looks very strange and unusual.
In conclusion
Where baobab trees grow, there is a belief among local residents that the tree used to be a person. He angered the Almighty, and in revenge he turned him into a plant, which he planted upside down. By the way, the second name for baobab among Africans is “inverted tree.”
Baobab is a truly amazing tree. It is considered not only the thickest tree in the world, but also the longest-lived. The baobab can live for more than 2000 years, and other scientists assure that it can live for more than 4 thousand years. However, it is not possible to verify this, because this tree does not have annual rings. The diameter of baobabs can reach 11 meters, and its height reaches 25 meters.
When it rains, the baobab stores water in its trunk, and even termites are unable to damage it, since its bark is thoroughly saturated with moisture, however, due to oversaturation with it, baobabs are susceptible to fungal diseases and often adult trees have a hollow or half-rotten trunk. During the rainy season, the tree can accumulate about 120 tons of water.
During periods of drought, despite the fact that water is stored, the baobab has to slow down its vital activity and during this time its leaves turn yellow and fall off. Then it looks very unusual, it may seem that the upper branches are roots, which is why the baobab is also called a tree with roots growing upward. Baobab is not afraid of sandstorms, since its roots go very deep into the ground.
This amazing tree begins to bloom only at night, and each flower lives only one night, despite the fact that flowering continues throughout the rainy season, from October to December. Baobab flowers are white and very large, which, as soon as they begin to open, have a pleasant smell, but after pollination they begin to emit an almost stench. And the flowers are pollinated by none other than bats, which are called palm fruit bats. Mice flock to the pleasantly smelling buds and manage to pollinate all the flowering trees overnight.
On the same night, the flowers fall off, and only the fruits remain, which are black in color and very similar in shape to a cucumber. Baobab fruits can be eaten; both baboons and people eat them with pleasure. Their pulp contains black seeds and has a sour taste. A drink reminiscent of lemonade and even coffee is prepared from the same pulp. Baobab lemonade perfectly quenches thirst and enriches the body with vitamins B and C, and coffee is prepared by roasting the seeds.
Interestingly, if you tear off the bark from a baobab tree, it soon grows back, and the fallen tree continues to grow if at least one root remains in the soil. When a tree reaches a certain age, it stops growing and its trunk decreases in diameter. It is known that the oldest baobab on the planet, whose age is estimated at 6 thousand years.
It is also unusual for baobabs to die. They slowly settle until they crumble, leaving behind a mountain of fairly durable fiber.
- Botanical description
- Living conditions
- Legends of origin
- Places of distribution
- Application
- Interesting Facts
Adansonia (lat. Adansonia), or baobab, is a genus of tropical trees from the Malvaceae family. Lives in hot savannah conditions. The exotic plant has about ten species, common on the African mainland and the island of Madagascar.
Botanical description
The baobab does not look like an ordinary tree; it resembles a giant carrot with a bunch of tops sticking out of the ground or a small tower. Plants rarely reach a height of 17–18 m, but the width of the trunks of individual specimens can be up to 8–10 m. Closer to the top the trees become thinner, but not much. The root system is branched. The roots spread widely to the sides of the trunks, finding and sucking up the slightest drops of moisture. These trees do not create thickets and prefer to grow alone.
The side shoots of baobabs are located almost on the top of the head; their entire length of bare trunks is covered with thick brownish-brown bark. Its upper part is quite soft, the lower part is harder and hides a large amount of moisture. The branches are few, thickened, gnarled, forming a ragged, shapeless crown. The leaves are brown-green, with a smooth surface, simple or palmate, five- or seven-lobed, about 10 cm long and 5 cm wide.
Baobabs bloom from October to December. White five-fingered corollas with long red stamens usually bloom on branches devoid of leaves. The buds grow up to 20 cm in diameter and hang on short stalks. Each flower lives no more than a day. In the evening it emits a spicy aroma that attracts nearby insects and bats. By morning, the petals of the inflorescences close, and an unpleasant putrid smell appears. After a few more hours, the bud completely withers, breaks off, and falls to the ground. The ovary remains in its place. After a few weeks, fleshy fruits ripen, similar to swollen cucumbers or small melons. Under the light green, fleecy, thick shell is hidden a mealy pulp that has a sour taste and contains many small dark seeds.
The wood is soft, saturated with moisture, and has no growth rings.
Living conditions
Adansonia belongs to, able to concentrate water in their fleshy tissues. Habitat conditions predispose such species to survival. Hot weather with long dry seasons and poor soils are destructive for broad-leaved species with dense crowns and a lot of greenery. During periods of drought, baobabs decrease in size, the trunks are noticeably blown away, and the leaves fall off. The plant begins to economically use the accumulated moisture. With the onset of the rainy season, the trees again fill with water and swell.
The vitality of baobabs is surprising. They do not die after most of the bark is removed from the trunks; they grow back from a small area of the root that was preserved after cutting down. Soft, watery wood is easily affected by fungus in hot conditions. But even with severe destruction of the massif, the formation of large voids, the tree continues to grow and bear fruit. The lifespan of adansonia is about 1000 years. Baobabs grow slowly. Every year they rise by 5–10 cm and spread up to 40 cm in width.
Legends of origin
Residents of the areas where the baobab lives tell an ancient legend explaining the origin and strange appearance of the tree. God, creating the earth and all life on it, settled this plant in the most fertile and picturesque place near the great Congo River. But the tree turned out to be capricious and did not want to stay there. He was disturbed by the sound of water and dampness. The baobab also did not like the mountain valley due to strong winds. For a long time God tried to please the tree by choosing different places. In the end, he got angry, tore out the baobab tree and stuck it upside down in the most uninhabitable dry savannah. The plant had to get used to new conditions, learn to absorb rare precipitation, and come to terms with its curious appearance.
Another legend says that the baobab used to grow in the sky and reach gigantic sizes. One day he was thrown from there to the ground, because the Creator decided to stop the development of the giant. The branches stuck into the soil, but the roots remained sticking up.
Places of distribution
Adansonia Gregory (lat. Adansonia gregorii) lives in the northwestern territories of Australia, in places where the climate is similar to the savannas of Africa.
Some species are distributed in the northern and western parts of Madagascar and throughout the entire area of African savannas: from Sudan to southern tropical latitudes, from Mauritania to the east coast.
In Madagascar, the aborigines consider the baobab to be a sacred tree.. They believe that every settlement must have at least one talisman protecting the well-being of its inhabitants. Adansonia also serves as a source of food and water for people and animals. African elephants love to eat these trees whole. Monkeys feast on the pulp of the fruit. Because of this, baobabs received another name - monkey breadfruit.
Application
All parts of wood contain a lot of moisture. The leaves, fruit pulp, and bark are suitable for consumption.
Bark
Seasoning for national dishes is made from the soft part of the tree bark. Ash is used in folk medicine as an antiseptic, analgesic and anti-inflammatory agent for colds, intestinal disorders, bites of poisonous insects and reptiles.
Baskets, mats, fishing nets are woven from bast fibers, ropes and threads are made. In Europe, paper is made from this part of the bark.
Leaves and shoots
Not only animals eat greens and young branches of adansonia. This is a very popular ingredient in some national cuisines. Fresh leaves are used in salads, soups, baked, boiled and stewed. The branches are pickled and added to various dishes. Tinctures are prepared from dried leaves and shoots and used to treat inflammatory diseases.
Tree pollen is used as a raw material for making soap and glue.
Fruits and seeds
The pulp of the baobab fruit is light cream in color, resembles a pumpkin in consistency, and emits a ginger-like aroma. It is edible, contains vegetable proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins and many useful mineral compounds. It contains much more ascorbic acid and B vitamins than other fruits and vegetables. Eat both raw and dried fruits. The pulp is also dried, ground into powder, and used to prepare a drink similar to ginger lemonade.
Raw seeds are chewed like sunflowers. Dried - finely ground, prepare a coffee drink from them.
It is believed that the fruits of baobabs perfectly relieve fatigue, prevent many diseases, and nourish the body no worse than meat and bread.
Even the hard shell of the fruit is used. The shell halves are used as bowls for storing small items, they are set on fire and driven away with the smoke of tropical gnats. Hair potions are prepared from the ash.
Wood
In industry, baobab wood is practically not used. It does not have the properties of building materials. Powerful trunks - a source of moisture. The loose fibers, after drying, are used to make ropes. Baobab roots contain a red pigment, and the juice is sometimes used as a natural dye.
- The baobab is depicted on the state emblems of some African republics.
- Adansonia baobab was named after the biologist Michel Adanson, who described the monstrously thick tree. The circumference was about 55 m and the age was more than 5000 years.
- The bark of baobab trees is different. If the trees do get burned, they continue to grow..
- Even trees felled to the ground do not die. If the roots survive, then new branches and leaves grow on them. Baobabs are able to live in a horizontal position.
- Inside watery trunks, due to fungal infection, huge hollows often form, more like caves. Residents use them as barns, bathhouses, warehouses, houses and even prisons. Trees converted into various rooms do not stop living, continue to bloom, and bear fruit..
- The root system penetrates to great depths and fills the entire adjacent space on the surface. Despite the fact that the crowns of the baobab trees do not provide any shade, nothing grows under them. There are not even small bushes or grass. Root shoots take all the nutrients and displace other flora.
- Baobabs that have outlived their useful life do not dry out, but gradually crumble and turn into a bunch of individual fibers. There are no hard mineral deposits in their wood, so when age-related changes occur in the bark and moisture leaves the trunks, nothing holds their skeleton. Decay occurs over several decades.
