The unusual baobab tree is unique in everything: in size, proportions, and life span. Even its magnificent survival envy any plant. Baobab is an amazing tree. He is the brightest member of the Malvaceous family, living amazingly long in the arid tropics of the African savannah.
The largest baobab tree
Reaching a good ten meters in the girth of the trunk, Baobab cannot boast of a special height: 18-25 meters - its usual height. Although there are individual representatives of this species that have broken all records: in 1991 one baobab fell into the famous Guinness book, reaching almost 55 meters in the girth of the trunk, other copies exceeded the 150-meter height limit. And about the life span of this giant, there are legends at all: it is officially recognized that a tree lives from 1000 to 6000 years. The trunk above abruptly breaks off, spreading thick branches to the sides and forming a crown up to 40 meters in diameter. It is a deciduous plant and in the period of leaf discharge resembles a baobab upside down. The tree, the photo of which is presented, confirms the funny appearance. But he is quite explainable by the growing conditions on dry African lands. A thick trunk is the accumulator of nutrients and water supplies that the baobab needs. The tree has a second name - Adansonia palmate. This “name” combines the characteristic appearance of 5-7-leafed leaves with the perpetuation of the name of the French biologist Michel Adanson.
The legend of capricious baobab
It is the associations that come to mind with the tree whose roots are located above instead of the crown that most likely served as fertile ground for the birth of the legend about the origin of the baobab. It is said that at the creation of the world, the Creator planted a tree in the valley of the full-flowing river of the Congo, but the plant did not like the coolness and dampness of this place. The Creator heeded his requests and transferred him to the mountain slopes, but the baobab did not like the winds that were born in the gorges and overlying rocks. And then, tired of the endless vagaries of the tree, God tore it from the ground and, turning it over, stuck its roots up in the arid valley. Until now, during the period of foliage dumping, with its whole appearance, the amazing baobab plant reminds of the wrath of the gods - a tree that is not at all capricious, on the contrary, that has learned to survive and protect all life around.
Interesting facts from the life of baobabs
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 hollow baobab trunks for their needs. In African countries, it is not uncommon to use baobab trunks for grain storage or as water tanks. They are adapted for housing, carving windows and hanging doors. This is facilitated by a fairly soft core of the tree, which is vulnerable, however, to fungal infections. The cavities inside the tree, cleaned from the core, have sufficient areas for arranging the premises for various purposes. For example, in Kenya, baobab is growing, serving as a temporary refuge for wanderers, and in Zimbabwe there is a baobab bus station that can seat up to 40 people at a time. In Limpopo, in the 6,000-year-old giant, a baobab bar is opened, which is incredibly popular and is a local attraction.
A tree for all occasions
Universal plant is unique in all manifestations. Baobab flowers with a pleasant smell of musk bloom in the evening, pollination occurs at night, and in the morning they
fall off. Baobab fruits, resembling thick zucchini in shape, hanging on long stalks, are very tasty, they are high in vitamins and minerals, and can be equal to veal in nutritional value. Outside they are covered with fleecy peel. The local population appreciates them for their pleasant taste, fast absorption by the body and the ability to relieve fatigue. The seeds of the fruit are fried, crushed and used to make a quality coffee substitute. The dried inner part of the fruit is able to smolder for a long time, driving away blood-sucking insects, and the ash goes to the manufacture of oil (amazing!) For frying, as well as soap. Leaves of a tree - a storehouse of nutrients. Soups are made from them, salads and cold snacks are made. The great taste of young asparagus have shoots. Baobab is a tree whose flower pollen is an excellent base for the manufacture of glue. From porous bark and soft wood, paper, coarse fabric, and twine resembling Russian hemp are made.
Medicinal properties of baobab
Ash from burning tree bark is not only a universal fertilizer, but also the main component for the production of highly effective medicines for viral colds, fever, dysentery, heart and blood vessel diseases, toothache, asthma, insect bites. The tincture made from baobab leaves makes the condition better for kidney diseases.
Among the wonderful representatives of the African flora, baobab occupies a leading position. The tree, a photo of which can be seen in the article, is an invaluable gift of nature.