What a baobab tree looks like. African baobab tree: fruits and flowers of baobab, photo, video, pictures

The life of the inhabitants of the planet Pandora from the movie 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 world fame not only to its longevity and unusual crown shape, but also to its numerous useful properties. According to Malagasy legend, the first settlers of the island of Madagascar millions of years ago survived thanks to the baobab. “The settlement of the island began in the late Paleolithic: the inhabitants of Africa crossed the Strait of Mozambique,” ​​says the representative of the Ministry of Tourism of Madagascar, Miandri Raza. - Villages were built from the west coast to the center of the island. These parts of Madagascar have a fairly dry climate. It rarely rains, there are few rivers, with drinking water Problems. It is believed that the baobabs became its source for the islanders. The core of the tree is loose, reminiscent of a damp 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. Due to this ability of baobabs to recover, they, unlike other trees, were not chopped down to build houses. Therefore, each settlement was founded around the tree of life. "

LEGENDS ABOUT BAOBAB

“The crown of the baobab tree is like roots, as if the tree is upside down. One legend says that the baobab used to grow in heaven. 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, the god turned the baobab over 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 through it to the heavenly kingdom. "

Another legend says that the Baobab was the first tree on Earth. When a tall palm tree appeared, the baobab was upset and began to ask God to make it higher, God fulfilled the request. When the trees appeared with beautiful flowers, the baobab again turned to God. God again went to meet. When a fig tree with delicious fruits appeared, the baobab began to beg and reward him with fruits. God fulfilled the desire. But in order to no longer hear the words of dissatisfaction with himself, he turned the tree upside down.

OPENING OF BAOBAB

The baobab was discovered by Europeans in Africa in 1749: on unusual tree stumbled upon by the French naturalist and traveler Michel Adanson. A thick trunk, roots that grew tens of meters around and a massive crown with almost no leaves, more reminiscent of roots, surprised the researcher. He collected data on the basis of which the later Swedish naturalist Karl Linnaeus compiled scientific description tree, naming the genus in honor of the first explorer - Adansonia.

THE KEEPER OF HISTORY

Generations changed, and the baobabs continued to stand for centuries. Malagasy people believe that the sacred tree takes away the souls of the dead. In the village of Murafenu in the province of Antsiranana in the north of Madagascar, one of the oldest baobabs in the area grows - it is, according to the villagers, about 2,000 years old. 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,” said 65-year-old medium Mamena Lover, a baobab keeper 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. My grandfather told me that there was once a village nearby too. The hurricane knocked them down the baobab, and people began to die for no reason ... They probably treated their tree with disrespect, and it left them. "

Respect for the baobab is manifested in the offering ritual. Once a month, each member of the community is obliged to thank the tree for good life... “People come to me (then they will come to my son, because the knowledge of mediums is inherited) and tell me what they want to ask for the baobab, and I say what kind of sacrifice to make,” explains Mamena. - For example, my wife could not have children for a long time. We slaughtered the zebu (kind of a wild bull. - Approx. "Around the world"), cooked and ate the whole village under the branches of the baobab. 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. "

V large cities For example, in the capital of Madagascar, Antananarivo, the baobabs are lost among the concrete jungle. And, of course, no one brings the killed zebu to the trees. But if the road lies past the baobab, a person is likely to touch it - for good luck. “When the cities were being built, the trees got in the way, but no one even thought to cut down the baobab. For Malagasy, this tree is inviolable. Moreover, it is more beneficial when it is alive than when it is dead, ”says Miandri Raza.

LIVE PHARMACY

The Malagasy people use all parts of the baobab. Bark is used to make ropes and fabrics. The leaves are added to soups and salads. The sour-tasting pulp of the fruit 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 referred to as the pharmacy tree,” says Eri Somiandri, a general practitioner at Antananarivo Hospital. - Fruit pulp contains six times more vitamin C than oranges, six times more potassium than bananas, and two times more calcium than milk. It is a rich source of amino acids important for human health. Baobab helps with poisoning, digestive problems and hemorrhoids, strengthens the immune system. Baobab oil heals skin irritations, allergic reactions... Many Malagasy people prefer this proven remedy to modern medicines. "

In the last decade, there appeared in Europe a large number of food additives made from the fruit of the baobab. They export fruits from Africa. In Madagascar, they don't do business on the sacred tree. Most baobabs grow in protected national parks.

LITTLE FAITH

According to one version, the word "baobab" comes from the Arabic bu bibab which means "fruit with many seeds." One fruit contains 70-90 seeds hidden in a porous pulp. Despite such fertility, the baobab grows reluctantly in nature. “This long-lived tree is rather finicky in the early stages of development,” says the guide. national park Ankarana Angelo Raza. - The seed can germinate in the ground only after it has been in the mouth of a monkey or a lemur. These animals eat the pulp of the fruit and spit out the seeds. Saliva destroys the protective film on the seeds. But even this does not guarantee that the sprout will appear. To preserve the national treasure, we grow baobabs on special farms at the park. We plant seeds in plastic bags with the ground. But before planting, we keep each seed in our mouth for a few minutes. On the farm where I work, I have managed to grow about a hundred baobabs. The sprouts are still only two years old, they have reached only 30 centimeters in height. Already in next year we will transplant them to the reserve. It's hard work, but once the tree helped the Malagasy survive, now we are helping it survive. "

Most often, the farms are visited by city dwellers. Not wanting to waste time trying to grow a sacred tree from seeds, locals buy seedlings. “Since the baobab grows very slowly, it is quite possible to plant it in a tub at home and grow something like a Japanese bonsai,” explains Angelo. - To do this, you just need to constantly cut 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. Baobab grew on the purchased territory, which interfered with construction. They wanted to cut down the tree, but Musulad, a medium from a neighboring village, intervened. “I have promised that the baobab will bring great profit to the hotel,” says Musulad. “This tree has been sacred to the village for centuries. I convinced the owner of the hotel to keep the baobab for at least a year. And if the enterprise thrives, it 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 to those who do not believe in its 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 popular theory, the baobab settled on the territory of the ancient continent of Gondwana, which split about 200 million years ago, forming all the continents and islands of the Southern Hemisphere.

Andansonia digitata(African baobab) - Western, Northeastern, Central and South Africa, cultivated in Madagascar

Andansonia grandidieri(adansonia, or grandidier baobab) - Madagascar

Andansonia gregorii(Adansonia Gregory, Adansonia Australian, boab) - Northwest Australia

Andansonia madagascariensis(Adansonia Madagascar) - Madagascar

Andansonia perrieri(adansonia Perier) - north of Madagascar

Andansonia rubrostipa(adansonia Fony) - northwest of Madagascar

Andansonia suarensis(adansonia Suarez) - Madagascar

Andansonia za(adansonia for) - northwest of Madagascar

Andansonia kilima(mountain baobab) - southwest Africa

The pulp of the baobab fruit contains six times more vitamin C than oranges and six times more potassium than bananas.

Most of the baobabs in Madagascar grow in protected national parks.

Baobab bark is widely used on the farm. Ropes and fabrics are made from it.

The dried pulp of the baobab fruit is used to make a delicious drink.

Baobab blooms once a year in early summer (in Madagascar - from October to December). Flowers on a thick peduncle bloom in the evening. In the morning they wither, acquiring an unpleasant putrid smell, and fall off.

V summer period the trunk of a baobab tree, like a sponge, accumulates moisture, due to which the tree grows in size. In winter and during the dry season, the baobab dries up, as it uses the inner halls of the water.

A felled or felled tree will still fight for life. Root system recovers very quickly. Sometimes, even in a lying state, the baobab continues to grow and bear fruit.

Pollination is due to bats, which feed on certain parts of the flower. Flying from one flower to another, the bats transfer pollen to the wool.

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 hollowed out completely (for example, cafes and bus stops have been set up in some of the baobab trees in Africa), the tree will continue to grow, blossom 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 has no stem rings, so radiocarbon dating helps determine age. Scientists are inclined that this miracle can live from 1000 to 5.5 thousand years, there is no consensus.

The dimensions and proportions are astounding. The height can be 18-25 m, and the trunk circumference is 9-10 m.A baobab with a girth of 54.5 m was included in the Guinness Book of Records.

In the dry season, the tree looks very strange. According to African legend, God selected different favorable places to settle him there, but the capricious baobab did not like everything. Angry, the Creator pulled the finicky man out of the ground and stuck him upside down in the driest place in Africa.

The wood of the plant is porous, and in the rainy season it collects moisture like a sponge. If you hit the bark of the trunk with your hand, then a dent will remain. In winter, by shedding its leaves, the tree shrinks. The core is loose, often affected by a fungus, so the insides rot out, and the tree becomes hollow. This feature is well used by people: dwellings are often arranged inside, there is even a bus station, restaurants and bars.

The 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 hanging pedicels, attracts with a pleasant aroma bats that pollinate them. They live only at night, then falls off, acquiring the smell of rot. In their place, fruits of an oblong shape with a thick skin and a mealy content are formed. They are edible, often called monkey bread.

Video: How the Baobab blooms. Flowering occurs at night, flowers can open in less than a minute.

Film: Planet of Trees. Baobab.

The baobab or adansonia is a very unusual plant. At first glance, it seems that this is a tree growing with its roots up. It has a very wide trunk, reaching 10-30 m in circumference. The height of the baobab is 18-25 m. The tree can live up to 5 thousand years.

The baobab is remarkable for its stamina. He does not die when the bark is cut into him - it grows on the tree again. The plant can survive even if it falls to the ground. If this leaves at least one root in contact with the soil, the tree will continue to grow in a lying position.

Having learned about such unusual characteristics of this tree, many will be interested in the question, where does the baobab grow?

On which continent does baobab grow?

The native continent of the baobab is Africa, namely, its tropical part. Many types of baobab are common in Madagascar. When asked whether a baobab grows in, one can answer that there is a certain species of it.

The determining factor in what natural area the baobab grows, is its climate. For the tropics, and specifically the savannas, consisting of the forest-steppe, two hot seasons are characteristic, which replace each other - dry and rainy.

Unique properties of baobab

The baobab is a favorite plant of the local population due to its many useful properties characteristic of him:

So the location of this amazing plant determined by the peculiarities of the climate on the continents where the baobab tree grows.

The baobab is unique in everything: in size, proportions, in terms of life expectancy. Even its excellent survival rate will be the envy of any plant. The baobab is an amazing tree. He is the most bright representative living surprisingly long in the arid tropics of the African savannah.

The largest baobab tree

Reaching a dozen meters in the girth of the trunk, the baobab cannot boast of a special height: 18-25 meters is its usual growth. 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 the trunk girth, other specimens exceeded the 150-meter height limit. And there are legends about the life expectancy of this giant: it is officially recognized that a tree lives from 1000 to 6000 years. The trunk at the top ends abruptly, spreading thick branches to the sides and forming a crown up to 40 meters in diameter. It is a deciduous plant and resembles a baobab upside down during the leaf shedding period. The tree, the photo of which is presented, confirms the funny appearance... But it is quite explainable by the growing conditions on dry African lands. The thick barrel is a battery nutrients and the water supplies that the baobab needs. The tree has a second name - Adansonia palmate. This "name" combines characteristic appearance 5-7 fallen leaves commemorating the name of the French biologist Michel Adanson.

The Legend of the Naughty Baobab

It was the associations that come to mind with a tree, the roots of which are at the top instead of a crown, most likely, and 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 full-flowing valley, 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 blowing around the rocks. And then, tired of the endless whims of a tree, God tore it out of the ground and, turning it over, stuck it with its roots up in an arid valley. Until now, during the period of foliage dumping with all its appearance, it reminds of the wrath of the gods, the baobab - 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 or without a completely decomposed pith. People often use hollow baobab trunks for their own needs. It is not uncommon to use baobab trunks for storage of crops or as reservoirs for water. They are adapted for housing by cutting out windows, and this is facilitated by a rather soft core of the tree, which is vulnerable, however, to fungal infections. The cavities inside the tree, cleaned from the core, have sufficient space for arrangement inside premises for various purposes. For example, in Kenya, a baobab grows, which serves 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 is home to an incredibly popular baobab bar that is a local landmark.

A tree for all occasions

The universal plant is unique in all forms. Baobab flowers with a pleasant musk scent bloom in the evening, pollination occurs at night, and in the morning they
fall off. The baobab fruit, shaped like thick squash, hanging on long stalks, is very tasty, high in vitamins and mineral substances, and in terms of nutritional value can be equated to veal. Outside, they are covered with a fleecy skin. The local population appreciates them for their pleasant taste, quick assimilation 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 capable of smoldering for a long time, driving away blood-sucking insects, and the ash is used to make oil (amazing!) For frying, as well as soap. The leaves of the tree are a storehouse of nutrients. They are used for making soups, salads and cold snacks. Shoots have excellent taste of young asparagus. Baobab is a tree whose pollen is an excellent base for making glue. From porous bark and soft wood, paper, coarse fabric, and twine, reminiscent of Russian hemp, are made.

Medicinal properties of baobab

Ash from burning is not only a universal fertilizer, but also the main component for the production of very effective drugs for viral colds, fevers, dysentery, diseases of the heart and blood vessels, toothache, asthma, and insect bites. Tincture made from baobab leaves relieves kidney disease.

Among the wonderful representatives of the African flora, the baobab occupies a leading position. The tree, the photo of which can be seen in the article, is an invaluable gift of nature.

Baobab or Adansonia finger (lat.Adansonia digitata) - a species of trees from the genus Adansonia of the Malvaceae family,
typical of the dry savannahs of tropical Africa.

The name Adansonia was given to the genus in honor of the French botanist and explorer of Africa Michel Adanson (1727-1806); the specific name "digitata" refers to the shape of the leaves - they are 5-7-finger in the baobab.

The baobab is famous for its unusual proportions. This is one of the thickest trees in the world - with an average trunk circumference of 9-10 m, its height is only 18-25 m (the Guinness Book of Records for 1991 tells about the baobab, which had 54.5 m in girth). At the top, the trunk is divided into thick, almost horizontal branches, forming a large, up to 38 m in diameter, crown.
In the dry season, in winter, when the baobab sheds its foliage, it takes on the curious look of a tree growing with its roots up.

African legend says that the Creator planted a baobab tree in the valley of the Congo River, but the tree began to complain of dampness. Then the Creator transplanted him to the slope of the Moon Mountains, but even here the baobab was not satisfied. Angry at the tree's constant complaints, God tore it out and threw it on dry African soil. Since then, the baobab grows upside down

The loose, porous wood of the baobab is capable of absorbing water like a sponge during the rainy season, which explains the unusual thickness of these trees - they are, in fact, huge reservoirs of water. The collected liquid is protected from evaporation by a thick, up to 10 cm, grayish-brown bark, which is also loose and soft - a dent remains on it from a punch; however, its inner part is held together by strong fibers.

In winter, during the dry period, the tree begins to consume its moisture reserves - it decreases in volume and sheds foliage. From October to December, the baobab blooms.
Flowers the baobab is 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 scent of bats pollinating them. In the morning, the flowers wither, acquiring an unpleasant putrid smell, and fall off.

Followed by the development of oblong fruit, which resemble cucumbers or melons, covered with a thick shaggy skin.
Inside, the fruits are filled with sour powdery pulp with black seeds.
The fruits are edible. Because of the addiction of monkeys (baboons) to them, the baobab was nicknamed "the monkey breadfruit."

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 dies off in a peculiar way: it seems to crumble and gradually settle, leaving behind only a pile of fiber. However, baobabs are extremely tenacious.
They quickly regenerate the stripped bark; continue to bloom and bear fruit with an empty core; a tree that has been felled or felled can take root.

The lifespan of baobabs is controversial - they do not have growth rings, which can be used to reliably calculate their age.
Calculations carried out by the method of radiocarbon analysis (according to C14) showed more than 5500 years for a tree with a diameter of 4.5 m, although according to more conservative estimates, baobabs live "only" 1000 years.

Usage
Locals have found use for almost any part of the baobab.

Coarse, strong fiber is made from its bark, which is used for the manufacture of fishing nets, ropes, mats and fabrics. From the ashes of the baobab bark, quite effective drugs are obtained against colds, fevers, dysentery, cardiovascular disease, asthma, toothache, insect bites.

Young leaves are added to salads, dry ones are used as spices; in Nigeria, they are used to make soup. Young shoots are boiled like asparagus.

Flower dust is used to make glue.

Fresh pulp resembles ginger in taste and is rich in vitamins C and B, and in terms of its nutritional value it 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 a coffee substitute is made from roasted and ground.

The dried hard shell of the fruit is used in place of the glass. The smoke from burning the dry insides of the fruit drives away mosquitoes and other annoying insects.

The ash of the burnt fruit is used to make soap and, which is especially important, oil, on which you can fry.
Powder made from the fruit of the baobab, women East Africa wash their heads,
and the red juice that its roots contain is used to paint faces.

Until recently, baobabs were banned from food in Europe, but a couple of years ago, permission was obtained. True, Europeans will get to know the new product only in a processed form.
The pulp of the baobab fruit is planned to be used in fruit cocktails and nectars, as well as additives in muesli.

In local medicine, fruit pulp, juice, leaves and bark were used as remedies against various fevers and dysentery. From the bark of the baobab, a medicine similar to quinine is obtained. Baobab pulp powder increases immunity, lowers cholesterol, and reduces menstrual pain.
Baobab is especially good for the skin - it not only improves its condition, but also nourishes the skin, relieves irritation from it, inflammatory processes and restores the epidermis in the event of a burn.

The baobab is a delicacy for elephants. African giants eat them almost entirely, and not only the leaves and branches, but also the trunk.

Describing his African expeditions, the famous traveler David Livingstone recalled how he saw 20-30 people sleeping sweetly inside a dried-up trunk, and no one disturbed anyone. In Kenya, on the Nairobi-Mombasa highway, there is a baobab refuge equipped with a door and window. In Zimbabwe, a bus station was made from one tree, in the "waiting room" of which up to forty people can fit. Near the town of Kasane in Botswana, there is a baobab that was once used as a prison.

A pub was opened in one of the oldest and largest trees on the planet.

It all started with the fact that in 1990, the Van Heerden couple bought a farm in the province of Limpopo called Sunland. It is noteworthy that the condition of the site was very deplorable, but a baobab grew there, the size of which was very surprising, namely, it was as much as 22 meters in height, and the girth of the baobab is about 47 meters. Thus, this representative of the flora is the largest of its kind.

Studies conducted to establish the age of this tree have shown that its age is about 6 thousand years, which exceeds the age of even the pyramids in Egypt.
In 1993, the Van Heerdens discovered that there was a cavity inside the tree and began to cleanse it. They were amazed at the size of the inside of the tree and decided to open a bar in it - "Baobab Bar"

Due to the fact that the baobabs are naturally hollow inside, the tree trunk was practically not damaged during the construction of the bar.
So as windows and doors as well ventilation ducts, natural holes in the tree trunk were used.

Now in the Baobab bar you can see everything that is supposed to be in a traditional British pub - draft beer, bar stools, a stereo system, darts and even a telephone. The wood bar can accommodate more than fifty people, although it can comfortably accommodate ten to fifteen people.

The baobab is considered the national tree of Madagascar.
And in Japan there is Baobab-flavored Pepsi!