The Baobab

The baobab is known as the “upside down tree” because it was once thought that the branches above ground were actually its roots. They certainly look different from what we all think of as a tree.

Baobabs are native to Madagascar where there are six different kinds but also one kind grows in Africa and another in Australia. They are able to survive in dry areas and store water in the trunk of the tree—that is the way they can survive drought conditions. Special tissues within the tree conduct water making this a vascular plant.

In Africa it is also known as the “tree of life” because it provides shelter, food, and water in the dry African savannah regions. The bark is fire resistant and is used for making rope and clothing. The fruits can be made into juice, jam and beer and the roots provide red dye.

Baobab trees can live for a very long time—the oldest, thought to be 2,450 years old, in Zimbabwe was the oldest ever documented but this one died in 2011.

The “Grandmother” tree In Tsimanampetsotsa National Park in Madagascar is actually three fused trunks—the oldest part of this tree is 1,600 years old.

But if the trees themselves have a long life, the flower are only open for a maximum of 15 hours and it is possible to stand and watch as they open around dusk. By the next morning they will have withered.

As of 2018, many baobab trees are dying. It is thought that climate change is hastening their decline.

Source: The Conversation