It is a postcard tree and an iconic image for those who traveled throughout Africa. The Baobab tree stands out in front of the low, big and red african sun at sunset and it is impossible to resist the tempation to do a photo shoot.
IT IS THE BAOBAB TREE, only its name evokes ALL THE MAGIC OF THE BLACK CONTINENT.
The Baobab Tree (Adansonia digitata) is a long-lived, strong and huge tree with large branches that open to the sky and look like roots.
A sacred tree that, according to the culture and tradition of some african tribes, cannot be pulled down by men: only natural events can scratch it.
Baobab Tree is also known as Good Giant, Tree of Life, Magic Tree and even Pharmacist Tree because every part of it (roots, leaves, fruit pulp and seeds) can be used for nutritional and therapeutic purposes.
Regarding this, over 300 different uses have been documented in Benin, Mali, Zimbabwe, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Kenya, Malawi, South Africa and Senegal.
Facts and numbers of a Good Giant that can exceed 23 meters in height
- The trunk can reach 11/12 meters in diameter and it can store up to 120.00 liters of water.
- The leaves, with a lanceolate shape and a bright green colour, have a length ranging from 4 cm to 15 cm.
- The flowers are white, 15 -20 cm large and come down from the tree branches hanging from a vine that can reach 100 cm in lenght. They fade within 24 hours.
- The fruits are12-36 cm long and have a hard, woody bark and a “sausage” shape. Inside they have a white pulp and many dark seeds that resemble to black beans.
- Some Baobab species keep the leaves on the branches for only three months a year.
You might not know this
The fruit pulp has a very high Vitamin C content: 280-300 mg / 100 gr, while the orange contains only 60-70 mg!
After the description of the Baobab tree, let’s images talk on it!
