Online Articles
about nature - by Boyd
Shaffer,
artist /naturalist
Observations
of a Naturalist
This Article: Baobab - Bounty of the tropics.
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Adansonia
digitata, is one of the well known Baobab
trees of tropical regions. Wherever people
have traveled through Baobab country they
have carried seeds or young plants along
and thus extended their range. Madagascar
is the home of about seven species. Africa
has a number of species as does tropical
America, Australia and Asia.
These trees
belong to a large family
(Bombacaceæ) consisting of of
deciduous tropical trees which produce a
large number of forest products: Edible
leaves seeds and fruit, cream of tarter,
fibers for many products including kapok.
These trees cannot be used for lumber
because the wood is fibrous and cannot be
cut to make boards.
The bark is
stripped and used for fibers and unlike
other trees, removing the bark causes no
harm. They simply grow new bark. This
whole group of trees which includes the
well know giant forest Ceibas (Ceiba
pentandra) are medicinal. In fact, in
parts of Africa people actually hold
titles to some Baobabs and Ceibas. Because
they are so coveted, some tribal elders
have said that to pick a flower or eat the
green fruit will cause death. Further
investigation reveals that the "death"
they refer to is not from poison or tribal
anger. Instead they tell the people that a
lion will eat them.
The
appearance of a heavy, large trunk with
few limbs at the top suggests a typical
specimen; however, there are many growing
conditions that makes them at times hard
to identify . Some have very tall bottle
like trunks (see illustration) and others
have trunks only about ten meters tall
with many limbs at the top. Some Baobabs
have a number of trunks and are tall with
many branches. The trunks can be over
forty feet in circumference, and the trees
might live as long as four thousand years.
There is no positive way at this time to
calculate the ages of many tropical trees
because they do not produce growth rings.
These trees can live in areas with little
water. They have extremely large root
systems and their trunks with their
fibrous wood can hold hundreds of gallons
of water. Water can be obtained by cutting
a hole in the tree. It seals the opening
after about eight ounces runs
out.
In Australia
one large Baobab was used as a jail, and
people have hollowed them for use as
houses. That is pretty nice because it
will have an internal water supply. In
fact some native villages have hollowed
them out for use as reservoirs.
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