Incredible baobab tree... its amazing appearance is striking in its disproportion: despite the fact that the baobab is a relatively short tree (only 18-25 m), it is considered one of the thickest trees in the world - on average the trunk circumference is 9-10 meters, but in the Guinness Book of Records for 1991 talks about a baobab tree with a diameter of as much as 54.5 m! At the top, the trunk is divided into thick, almost horizontal branches, forming a large crown, up to 38 m in diameter. During the dry period, in winter, when the baobab sheds its leaves, it takes on the curious appearance of a tree growing with its roots upward.
An African legend says that the Creator planted a baobab tree in the Congo River valley, but the tree began to complain of dampness. Then the Creator transplanted it to the slope of the Moon Mountains, but even here the baobab was not happy. Angry at the tree's constant complaints, God tore it out and threw it onto dry African soil. Since then, the baobab has been growing upside down.
The origin of the name "baobab" is unknown. Some believe it comes from "bu hobab", the name used for the plant in the markets of Cairo. Or perhaps it was derived from "bu hibab", Arabic for "fruit with many seeds".
For centuries, much of what was known about baobabs was based solely on African baobabs (Digitata). The first mention of the baobab dates back to the 14th century, by the Arab traveler Ibn Batuta, a massive trunk filled with water. In 1661, the writer Flacourt praised the giants, speaking of Madagascar, he writes: "In this region, there is a tree called Anadzahé, which is monstrously colossal large. This tree is hollow inside, 12 feet in diameter, round and ends in an arch, like the one at the bottom." parts of the lamp. There are just a few small branches here and there at the top." 
What strange things do these medieval travelers tell: a huge hollow trunk filled with water...? Indeed, a mature African baobab tree is a natural water reservoir capable of holding over 100,000 liters of water! Loose, porous baobab wood is capable of absorbing water like a sponge during the rainy season, which explains the unusual thickness of these trees, and the collected liquid is protected from evaporation by a thick, up to 10 cm, grayish-brown bark, also loose and soft - it remains on it from a blow with a fist dent; however, her inner part binds strong fibers.
The soft, water-saturated wood of baobabs is susceptible to fungal diseases, which is why the trunks of adult plants are usually hollow or hollow, rotted inside. The baobab tree also dies in a peculiar way: it seems to crumble and gradually settle, leaving behind only a pile of fiber. Nevertheless life force baobab is amazing. Unlike most other trees, the baobab does not die if its bark is torn off - it grows back. Nothing happens to the baobab even if it falls to the ground. As long as at least one root remains in contact with the soil, the tree continues to grow lying down.
Baobab is one of the oldest residents of our planet: calculations carried out using radiocarbon dating (using C14) showed more than 5,500 years for a tree with a diameter of 4.5 m, although according to more conservative estimates, baobabs live “only” 1,000 years. The fact that scientists still cannot accurately determine the age of baobabs is explained by the fact that the lifespan of these giants cannot be calculated from the growth rings: they simply do not exist...
When talking about the baobab, many researchers often recall Saint-Exupéry's famous fairy tale about little prince, whose hero was constantly trying to save his tiny planet from the roots of the baobab trees, due to the growth of which it cracked and fell apart. The tale says nothing about how the prince maintained his existence. Meanwhile, as the same researchers note, he could well get everything he needs from the baobab tree.
He could brew coffee in the morning from roasted and crushed coffee seeds; They are also edible raw. Baobab fruits are pleasant to taste and rich in vitamin C and calcium. 
The dried shell of the fruit is dry and hard - it completely replaces a glass or vessel. The ashes of the burnt fruit, saturated with potash, make excellent soap. Extract from the powdered filling of a woman's fetus East Africa They wash their hair, and use the red juice contained in the roots to give the skin softness and shine.
Porous bark and wood are good for making paper, fabric, and twine. A tincture of baobab leaves treats fever, kidney disease, asthma, diarrhea, insect bites, and a paste containing powdered grains helps with toothache. The leaves are used to make soup, and the first sprouts of the baby baobab taste like asparagus. Flower pollen is suitable for making glue, and the smoke from the burnt filling of the fruit drives away annoying insects. At night, the prince could easily rest peacefully in a hollow baobab tree.
This is how baobab trees bloom. 
The van Heerden couple came up with an original use for the hollow trunk of a baobab tree: they built a real bar in it! The tree that grew on their site was remarkable: 22 meters in height and 47 meters in girth. Among the baobabs of its species (Adansonia digitata), this one turned out to be the largest. 
In addition, radiocarbon dating showed that the baobab is 6 thousand years old. It is much older than the Egyptian pyramids! He saw stone age people. At the same time, the baopab can comfortably and spaciously accommodate 15 people. But if necessary, the company can be consolidated. “We once had 54 people walking at once,” says Heather van Heerden, “but I wouldn’t recommend repeating that experience.”
It would seem that it would not be barbarism to take and transform the oldest and largest tree on the planet to a bar? What else? It’s not for nothing that more than seven thousand people a year come to see it. But jealous conservationists can rest assured: this tree continues to grow safely, despite the drinking establishment operating intensively inside its trunk. Moreover, such use of baobab is not an isolated case: when describing his African expeditions, famous traveler David Livingston recalled how he saw 20-30 people sleeping soundly inside a dried-out trunk, and no one bothered anyone. In Kenya, on the Nairobi-Mombasa highway, there is a baobab shelter, equipped with a door and a window. In Zimbabwe, a bus station was made from one tree, the “waiting room” of which can accommodate up to forty people. There is a baobab tree near Kasane in Botswana that was once used as a prison. 
And one last thing. The trunk of a baobab tree can also be a reliable sarcophagus. This is exactly how poets and jesters used to be buried in Senegal, believing that they did not deserve earthly burial. But isn’t an almost immortal tree a worthy grave for a poet?
Information and photos taken from Wikipedia articles
The life of the inhabitants of the planet Pandora from the film Avatar directly depended on the sacred tree. If it dies, they will die too. We are sure: as soon as the last baobab disappears, life on the island will stop.
Baobab - strange looking the tree, as if growing upside down, owes its world fame not only to longevity and unusual shape crowns, but also numerous beneficial properties. According to Malagasy legend, the first settlers of the island of Madagascar survived millions of years ago thanks to the baobab tree. “The settlement of the island began in the late Paleolithic: African inhabitants crossed the Mozambique Channel,” says Miandri Raza, a representative of the Ministry of Tourism of Madagascar. — Villages were built from the west coast to the center of the island. These parts of Madagascar have a fairly dry climate. It rains rarely, there are few rivers, with drinking water Problems. It is believed that baobab trees became its source for the islanders. The heartwood of the tree is loose, reminiscent of a wet sponge. People cut it out, squeezed it out and drank the water. Despite this, the tree continued to grow and supply the settlers with valuable liquid. Thanks to this ability of baobabs to regenerate, they, unlike other trees, were not cut down to build houses. Therefore, each settlement was founded around the tree of life.”
LEGENDS ABOUT BAOBAB
“The crown of the baobab tree looks like roots, as if the tree is upside down. One legend says that the baobab tree used to grow in the sky. But God was afraid that the tree would take his throne, and threw the baobab to Earth. The tree did not land very well - upside down. According to another legend, God turned over the baobab already on Earth to stop its rapid growth. God was afraid that the tree would grow to the clouds and people would be able to climb up it to the kingdom of heaven.”
Another legend says that the Baobab was the first tree on Earth. When a tall palm tree appeared, the baobab became upset and began to ask God to make it taller, God fulfilled the request. When trees with beautiful flowers appeared, the baobab again turned to God. God again went to meet him. When a fig tree with tasty fruits appeared, the baobab began to ask to be rewarded with fruits. God granted the wish. But, in order to no longer hear words of dissatisfaction with himself, he turned the tree upside down.
DISCOVERY OF THE BAOBAB
The baobab was discovered by Europeans in Africa in 1749: on unusual tree came across the French naturalist and traveler Michel Adanson. The thick trunk, roots growing tens of meters around and a massive crown almost without leaves, more reminiscent of roots, surprised the researcher. He collected data on the basis of which the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus later compiled scientific description tree, naming the genus in honor of the first explorer - Adansonia.
KEEPER OF HISTORY
Generations changed, but the baobab trees continued to stand for centuries. Malagasy people believe that sacred tree takes the souls of the dead. In the village of Murafenu in Antsiranana province in northern Madagascar, one of the oldest baobab trees in the area grows - it is believed to be about 2,000 years old, according to the villagers. The trunk, about 25 meters high, is wrapped in red cloth - a sign that the baobab has repeatedly saved the village. “All baobabs are considered trees of life,” says 65-year-old medium Mamena Lover, custodian of the baobab in Murafenu. — Our village is thriving: we collect good harvests, children are born healthy, and people live up to a hundred years. All this thanks to our powerful baobab tree. My grandfather told me that there was once a village nearby. A hurricane knocked down their baobab tree and people started dying for no reason... They probably treated their tree with disrespect and it abandoned them.”
Respect for the baobab is shown in the ritual of offering. Once a month, every member of the community is obliged to thank the tree for good life. “People come to me (later they will come to my son, because the knowledge of mediums is inherited) and tell me what they want to ask the baobab tree for, and I tell them what kind of sacrifice needs to be made,” explains Mamena. “For example, my wife couldn’t have children for a long time. We killed a zebu (view wild bull. — Approx. “Around the World”), prepared and eaten by the whole village under the branches of a baobab tree. The skull was attached to a tree. Within a month, the wife became pregnant. And if the desire is simpler, then the offering can be simpler.”
IN major cities For example, in the capital of Madagascar, Antananarivo, baobab trees are lost among the concrete jungle. And of course, no one brings dead zebu to the trees. But if the road lies past a baobab tree, a person is likely to touch it - for good luck. “When cities were built, trees got in the way, but no one even thought of cutting down the baobab tree. For the Malagasy this tree is inviolable. Moreover, in a living form it brings more benefits than in a dead one,” says Miandri Raza.
LIVE PHARMACY
The Malagasy people use all parts of the baobab tree. The bark is used to make ropes and fabrics. The leaves are added to soups and salads. The sour-tasting fruit pulp replaces candy for children. Dried and crushed, it can be stored for a year. A drink is made from the powder. “The baobab is often called the medicine tree,” says Eri Somiandri, a general practitioner at a hospital in Antananarivo. — The pulp of the fruit contains six times more vitamin C than oranges, six times more potassium than bananas, and twice as much calcium as milk. It is a rich source of amino acids important for human health. Baobab helps with poisoning, digestive problems and hemorrhoids, and strengthens the immune system. Baobab oil treats skin irritations, allergic reactions. Many Malagasy people prefer this proven remedy to modern medicine.”
IN last decade and appeared in Europe a large number of food additives made from baobab fruits. Fruits are exported from Africa. In Madagascar, business is not done on the sacred tree. Most baobabs grow in protected national parks.
LITTLE FAITH
According to one version, the word “baobab” comes from Arabic bu bibab, which means “fruit with many seeds.” One fruit contains 70-90 seeds hidden in the porous pulp. Despite such fertility, baobab grows reluctantly in nature. “This long-lived tree is quite finicky in the early stages of development,” says the guide national park Ankarana Angelo Raza. — A seed can germinate in the ground only after it has been in the mouth of a monkey or lemur. These animals eat the pulp of the fruit and spit out the seeds. Saliva destroys protective film on seeds. But even this does not guarantee that a sprout will appear. To preserve the national treasure, we grow baobab trees on special farms in the park. We plant the seeds in plastic bags with the ground. But before planting, hold each seed in your mouth for several minutes. On the farm where I work, I managed to grow about a hundred baobabs. The sprouts are still only two years old, they have reached only 30 centimeters in height. Next year we will transplant them to the reserve. This hard work, but once the tree helped the Malagasy people survive, now we help it survive.”
Most often, farms are visited by urban residents. Not wanting to waste time trying to grow a sacred tree from a seed, locals buy seedlings. “Because the baobab grows very slowly, it can easily be planted in a tub at home and grow something like a Japanese bonsai,” explains Angelo. “To do this, you just need to constantly trim the leaves from above, then all the power will go into the trunk. I have several of these mini-baobabs growing at home. They bring good luck and prosperity."
The owner of a hotel in the north of the island, near the village of Ankifu, came to Madagascar from. A baobab grew on the purchased territory, which interfered with construction. They wanted to cut down the tree, but Musuled, a medium from a neighboring village, intervened. “I promised that the baobab tree would bring big profits to the hotel,” says Musuled. “This tree has been sacred to the village for centuries. I convinced the hotel owner to leave the baobab tree for at least a year. And if the enterprise prospers, then she will extend the life of the tree. And so it happened. Moreover, the hostess even called the hotel “Baobab”. The Tree of Life brings happiness to everyone who is near it. Even those who don’t believe in his power.”
TYPES OF BAOBAB
There are nine types of baobabs. Six of them are endemic to Madagascar. Two grow in Africa, one in. According to a popular theory, the baobab tree spread throughout the territory ancient continent Gondwana, which broke apart about 200 million years ago to form all the continents and islands of the Southern Hemisphere.
Andansonia digitata(African baobab) - Western, North-Eastern, Central and South Africa, cultivated in Madagascar
Andansonia grandidieri(adansonia, or Grandidier baobab) - Madagascar
Andansonia gregorii(Adansonia Gregory, Adansonia australis, boab) - North Western Australia
Andansonia madagascariensis(adansonia madagascarensis) – Madagascar
Andansonia perrieri(Adansonia Perrier) - northern Madagascar
Andansonia rubrostipa(Adansonia Foni) - northwestern Madagascar
Andansonia suarensis(Adansonia Suarez) – Madagascar
Andansonia za(adansonia pera) - northwestern Madagascar
Andansonia kilima(mountain baobab) - southwest Africa
The pulp of baobab fruits contains six times more vitamin C than oranges and six times more potassium than bananas.
Most baobabs in Madagascar grow in protected national parks.
Baobab bark is widely used in agriculture. It is used to make ropes and fabrics.
A delicious drink is made from the dried pulp of baobab fruits.
The baobab blooms once a year in early summer (in Madagascar - from October to December). Flowers on thick stalks bloom in the evening. In the morning they wither, acquiring an unpleasant putrid odor, and fall off.
IN summer period The baobab trunk, like a sponge, accumulates moisture, due to which the tree increases in size. In winter and during dry periods, the baobab dries out, as it uses the internal chambers of water.
A cut down or fallen tree will still fight for life. Root system recovers very quickly. Sometimes, even when lying down, the baobab tree continues to grow and bear fruit.
Pollination occurs thanks to bats, which feed on nectar and flower parts. Flying from one flower to another, the bats carry pollen on their fur.
The baobab does not grow very well in height (up to 25 meters), but the girth of the trunk sometimes reaches meters.
Even if the core of the baobab is completely hollowed out (for example, cafes and bus stops have been installed in some baobab trees in Africa), the tree will continue to grow, bloom and bear fruit.
The dead baobab gradually crumbles, turning into dust.
Baobab or Adalsonia palmate, named after the botanist from France M. Adanson. This tree is a long-liver among plants. It does not have stem rings, so radiocarbon dating helps determine its age. Scientists are inclined to believe that this miracle can live from 1000 to 5.5 thousand years, but there is no consensus.
The size and proportions are amazing. The height can be 18-25 m, and the trunk circumference is 9-10 m. A baobab with a girth of 54.5 m is included in the Guinness Book of Records.
IN dry time the tree looks very strange. According to African legend, God selected various favorable places for him to settle there, but the capricious baobab did not like everything. Angry, the Creator pulled the fastidious creature out of the ground and stuck it upside down in the driest place in Africa.
The wood of the plant is porous, and during the rainy season it collects moisture like a sponge. If you hit the bark of the trunk with your hand, a dent will remain. In winter, having shed its leaves, the tree decreases in volume. The core is loose and is often affected by fungus, so the inside rots and the tree becomes hollow. This feature is well used by people: houses are often built inside, there is even a bus station, restaurants and bars.
Giant baobab tree in Tzaneen, South Africa.
Flowering occurs in October-December. Large white flowers (up to 20 cm)
with 5 petals and purple stamens on pendulous stalks, attracts with a pleasant aroma bats that pollinate them. They live only overnight, then fall off, acquiring the smell of rot. In their place, oblong-shaped fruits with thick skin and mealy content are formed. They are edible and are often called monkey bread.
Video: How the Baobab blooms. Flowering occurs at night and flowers can open in less than a minute.
Film: Planet of the Trees. Baobab.
Images
on Wikimedia Commons
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Baobab, or Adansonia palmata(lat. Adansonia digitata) - a species of trees from the genus Adansonia of the Malvaceae family ( Malvaceae), characteristic of the dry savannas of tropical Africa. One of the thickest trees - the trunk diameter reaches 8 m, height 18-25 m.
Name Adansonia given to the genus by Linnaeus in honor of the French botanist and explorer of Africa Michel Adanson (-); species name " digitata"refers to the shape of the leaves - they are 5-7-fingered on the baobab tree.
Biological description
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Baobab flower: bud; general form an open flower; cut flower |
In winter, during the dry period, the tree begins to use up its moisture reserves - it decreases in volume and sheds its leaves. From October to December the baobab tree blooms. The baobab flowers are large (up to 20 cm in diameter), white with five petals and purple stamens, on hanging pedicels. They open in the late afternoon and live only one night, attracting the fruit bats that pollinate them with their aroma. In the morning, the flowers wither, acquiring an unpleasant putrid odor, and fall off.
Age
Flower dust is used to make glue.
The fresh pulp of the fruit tastes like ginger and is rich in vitamins and, and its nutritional value is equal to that of veal. It is quickly absorbed by the body and relieves fatigue. The pulp of the fruit is also dried and ground into powder; diluted in water, it gives a soft drink, slightly similar to “lemonade”, hence another name for baobab - lemonade tree.
The seed of the fruit is edible raw, and roasted and crushed to make a coffee substitute.
The dried hard shell of the fruit is used instead of a glass. The smoke from burning the dry insides of the fruit drives away mosquitoes and other annoying insects.
The ashes of the burnt fruit are used to make soap and, most importantly, oil for frying. East African women wash their heads with powder made from the fruits of the baobab tree, and they paint their faces with the red juice that its roots contain.
Use in heraldry
In the mythology of many African peoples, the baobab personifies life, fertility and appears as the guardian of the earth.
The baobab is considered the national tree of the people of Madagascar. This tree is also depicted on the coats of arms:
Botanical classification
Synonyms
- Adansonia bahobab
- Adansonia baobab Gaertn.
- Adansonia integrifolia Raf.
- Adansonia scutula Steud.
- Adansonia situla (Lour.) Spreng.
- Adansonia somalensis Chiov.
- Adansonia sphaerocarpa A.Chev.
- Adansonia sulcata A.Chev.
- Baobabus digitata (L.) Kuntze
- Ophelus sitularius Lour.
see also
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Notes
Literature
- Baobab // Angola - Barzas. - M. : Soviet Encyclopedia, 1970. - (Great Soviet Encyclopedia: [in 30 volumes] / chief ed. A. M. Prokhorov; 1969-1978, vol. 2).
- // Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron: in 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - St. Petersburg. , 1890-1907.
- Schoolboy Yu.K. Plants. Complete encyclopedia of plants. - M.: EKSMO, 2009. - pp. 116-117. - 256 s. - ISBN 978-5-699-10969-2.
Links
Excerpt characterizing Baobab
Dolokhov did not answer him. “You can bet,” he said.Rostov remembered at that moment a strange conversation he once had with Dolokhov. “Only fools can play for luck,” Dolokhov said then.
– Or are you afraid to play with me? - Dolokhov said now, as if he had guessed Rostov’s thought, and smiled. Because of his smile, Rostov saw in him the mood of spirit that he had during dinner at the club and in general at those times when, as if bored with everyday life, Dolokhov felt the need for some strange, for the most part a cruel act to get out of it.
Rostov felt awkward; he searched and did not find a joke in his mind that would respond to Dolokhov’s words. But before he could do this, Dolokhov, looking straight into Rostov’s face, slowly and deliberately, so that everyone could hear, said to him:
– Do you remember we talked about the game... a fool who wants to play for luck; I probably should play, but I want to try.
“Try for luck, or perhaps?” thought Rostov.
“And it’s better not to play,” he added, and cracking the torn deck, he added: “Bank, gentlemen!”
Moving the money forward, Dolokhov prepared to throw. Rostov sat down next to him and did not play at first. Dolokhov glanced at him.
- Why don’t you play? - said Dolokhov. And strangely, Nikolai felt the need to take a card, put a small jackpot on it and start the game.
“I have no money with me,” said Rostov.
– I’ll believe it!
Rostov bet 5 rubles on the card and lost, bet again and lost again. Dolokhov killed, that is, he won ten cards in a row from Rostov.
“Gentlemen,” he said, after spending some time, “please put money on the cards, otherwise I might get confused in the accounts.”
One player said he hoped he could be trusted.
– I can believe it, but I’m afraid of getting confused; “Please put money on the cards,” Dolokhov answered. “Don’t be shy, we’ll get even with you,” he added to Rostov.
The game continued: the footman, without ceasing, served champagne.
All Rostov's cards were broken, and up to 800 tons of rubles were written on him. He was about to write 800 thousand rubles on one card, but while he was being served champagne, he changed his mind and wrote the usual jackpot again, twenty rubles.
“Leave it,” said Dolokhov, although he did not seem to look at Rostov, “you’ll get even sooner.” I give to others, but I beat you. Or are you afraid of me? - he repeated.
Rostov obeyed, left the written 800 and placed the seven of hearts with a torn off corner, which he picked up from the ground. He remembered her well afterwards. He placed the seven of hearts, writing 800 above it with a broken piece of chalk, in round, straight numbers; drank the served glass of warmed champagne, smiled at Dolokhov’s words, and with bated breath, waiting for the seven, began to look at Dolokhov’s hands holding the deck. Winning or losing this seven of hearts meant a lot for Rostov. On Sunday last week, Count Ilya Andreich gave his son 2,000 rubles, and he, who never liked to talk about financial difficulties, told him that this money was the last one until May, and that is why he asked his son to be more economical this time. Nikolai said that this was too much for him, and that he gave his word of honor not to take more money until spring. Now 1,200 rubles of this money remained. Therefore, the seven of hearts meant not only a loss of 1,600 rubles, but also the need to change this word. With a sinking heart, he looked at Dolokhov’s hands and thought: “Well, quickly, give me this card, and I’ll take my cap, go home to dinner with Denisov, Natasha and Sonya, and I’ll certainly never have a card in my hands.” At this moment home life his jokes with Petya, conversations with Sonya, duets with Natasha, a picket with his father, and even a calm bed in the Cook's house, presented themselves to him with such strength, clarity and charm, as if all this was long past, lost and unappreciated happiness. He could not allow that a stupid accident, forcing the seven to lie first on the right than on the left, could deprive him of all this newly understood, newly illuminated happiness and plunge him into the abyss of an as yet untested and uncertain misfortune. This could not be, but he still waited with bated breath for the movement of Dolokhov’s hands. These broad-boned, reddish hands with hair visible from under the shirt, put down a deck of cards, and took hold of the glass and pipe being served.
- So you're not afraid to play with me? - Dolokhov repeated, and, as if in order to tell funny story, he put down the cards, leaned back in his chair and slowly began to tell with a smile:
“Yes, gentlemen, I was told that there is a rumor spread in Moscow that I am a cheater, so I advise you to be careful with me.”
- Well, swords! - said Rostov.
- Oh, Moscow aunties! - said Dolokhov and took up the cards with a smile.
- Aaah! – Rostov almost shouted, raising both hands to his hair. The seven he needed was already at the top, the first card in the deck. He lose Furthermore that he could pay.
“However, don’t get too carried away,” said Dolokhov, glancing briefly at Rostov and continuing to throw.
After an hour and a half, most of the players were already jokingly looking at their own game.
The whole game focused on Rostov alone. Instead of one thousand six hundred rubles, a long column of numbers was written down behind him, which he had counted up to the tenth thousand, but which now, as he vaguely assumed, had already risen to fifteen thousand. In fact, the entry already exceeded twenty thousand rubles. Dolokhov no longer listened or told stories; he followed every movement of Rostov’s hands and occasionally glanced briefly at his note behind him. He decided to continue the game until this entry increased to forty-three thousand. He chose this number because forty-three was the sum of his years added up with Sonya's years. Rostov, leaning his head on both hands, sat in front of a table covered with writings, covered in wine, and littered with cards. One painful impression did not leave him: these broad-boned, reddish hands with hair visible from under his shirt, these hands that he loved and hated, held him in their power.
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