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Baobab wood has such a soft and porous structure that, when infected with a fungus, it breaks down extremely quickly and forms huge voids. Meanwhile, this does not affect its existence in any way - a tree hollow from the inside is quite capable of surviving for more than a dozen years. The indigenous people of Africa have long adapted to use this hole to their advantage: they mostly store grain there, but there are also more interesting options.
For example, one cannot but be surprised by the fact that in Zimbabwe a real bus station was placed in it, capable of accommodating two dozen people; in Limpopo they set up a bar; in Botswana they planted a plant that in former times was used instead of a dungeon; and in Senegal, poets were buried in them, because it was believed that they were not worthy of being buried in the ground.
Baobab belongs to the genus Adansonia of the Malvaceae family (sometimes it is referred to the Bombax family, since there are no clear distinctions between these families). This tree is found only in the arid savannahs of tropical Africa, in an area covered with grassy vegetation with occasional trees and shrubs. And then, only those who have adapted to survive in the dry season (the year in the African savannah consists of two periods - hot rainy and hot dry).
Baobab has acclimatized to local conditions quite in an unusual way: moisture and nutrients, which he absorbs into himself like a huge sponge, helps him to keep a wide, often up to ten meters in diameter, trunk (interesting fact: the most broad tree, described by botanists, had a width of 54.5 m - and at one time was listed in the Guinness Book of Records).
It should be noted that with such a thickness, its height is small and ranges from 18 to 25 meters, only 2-3 times its width - such compactness gives the plant the opportunity not to die under the burning sun.
But the water in the tree retains, preventing it from evaporating, soft on the outside and strong on the inside of the bark, the thickness of which is 10 cm. The roots of the plant also play an important role in preserving moisture, which, spreading over the surface for more than a dozen meters, collect all available to them moisture. An interesting fact is that during the dry period, when the African baobab begins to spend its water reserve, the plant decreases slightly in size and does this until the start of the rainy season, after which it again begins to increase volume.
monkey breadfruit
It is during the dry season that the baobab sheds its leaves and begins to look like a tree that sticks up with its roots. Africans are convinced that this happened due to the fact that the plant angered God when it did not want to live where he intended for it. He did not like it either in the valley of the Congo River (the baobab decided that it was extremely damp here for him), or on the slope of the green mountain.
The plant angered the Creator so that he pulled it out of the ground and stuck it upside down in the middle of the savannah. But the harmful plant liked this area - and it decided to stay here forever, becoming known from the descriptions as a tree whose roots grow upwards.
Having thrown off the leaves, the baobab begins to bloom (it does this from October to November) - round buds appear on the bare branches. At night, they bloom and look like large, about twenty centimeters, flowers with five white petals curved back and dark red spherical stamens. It is interesting that the flower lives only one night, attracting palm fruit bats and bats for its pollination. After that, it withers, begins to emit a rotting smell and falls off.
And after a while, baobab fruits appear, oval or round in shape with a thick fluffy skin, containing delicious sour pulp with black seeds (it is interesting that baboons really like this pulp, which is why the Africans called this plant “monkey breadfruit”).
tree life
It is a long-established fact that the baobab has soft, water-saturated wood, and therefore is prone to various fungi that eat away at it from the inside - therefore, the trunks of these trees are often either hollow or hollow.
Baobab is a tenacious plant, and therefore holes are not a reason for death. Although this still contributes to its gradual destruction: the tree begins to slowly subside - and, in the end, turns into a pile of fiber (although this process will take him several decades, and even centuries).
The bark of this plant is also amazing, if it is torn off, it will not harm the tree, because pretty soon it will grow back.
An equally interesting fact is that if a baobab is cut down or an elephant knocks it down (these animals really like the juicy fibers of its core, and therefore they are able to completely eat it), and only one root remains from the root system, it will still try to take root and continue to grow, but already lying down.
How long the baobab lives exactly, scientists could not really determine: this tree has no growth rings. Botanists tend to think that this tree can live for about a thousand years. With the help of radiocarbon analysis of one of the plants, it was possible to determine that its age exceeds 4.5 thousand years.
Universal Tree
It is interesting that not only baboons and elephants benefit from this tree, but also the Africans who live in them use almost all parts of the tree instead of warehouses and use them in everyday life.
Bark
A coarse fiber is made from the bark of this plant, from which durable fabric, bags, fishing nets, and ropes are subsequently made. Various medicines are made from the ashes, which are used in the treatment of colds, dysentery, fever, asthma, heart disease, and they also relieve toothache and discomfort that occurs after being bitten by mosquitoes, flies and other insects.
Leaves and shoots
Young shoots are used instead of asparagus in boiled, salads are made from green leaves, spices are made from dry ones.
fruit pulp
The pulp of the fruit tastes like ginger, so a drink resembling lemonade is prepared from it - for this, the fruit is first dried, then washed into powder and diluted in water. But from the ashes of the pulp, oil is obtained, on which food is subsequently cooked.
seeds
Baobab seeds are eaten both raw and roasted, while roasted grains, after grinding, create a drink resembling coffee.
Other
Flower dust is used to make glue; after drying the hard shell of the fetus, they make glasses from it; and smoke when burning dried pulp drives away insects, especially mosquitoes. Africans also actively use this plant in cosmetology - they wash their hair with a powder made from the fruits of this tree, make soap, and women paint their faces with red juice, which contains the roots of the plant.
Nicknamed the "Super Fruit", the baobab fruit has become a popular addition to some health foods.
With a velvety surface, this fruit looks like a coconut. Dividing it into two halves, you will see inside the dry, mealy pulp, which is saturated with various antioxidants, and many other useful items. For this set of useful substances, the baobab is called a “superfruit” and a “superfood” - that is, such names that no one would ever think of calling an ordinary apple or orange.
From point of view nutritional value The multifunctional baobab fruit contains more than 10 times more antioxidants than oranges and six times more ascorbic acid (vitamin C). It has twice the calcium of a glass of milk, as well as many other minerals like potassium and phosphorus, which are essential for bone health. The pulp of the fruit is very rich in fiber and contains prebiotics, which stimulate the growth of "good" lacto- and bifidobacteria in the intestine.
Naturally, the fruits of the baobab have been used by local African tribes for centuries as food or seasoning for various dishes. And from the strong walls of the fruit, they made vessels and containers for storing anything. The husks were used as fuel, and the potassium-rich ash made quite effective soap. However, they also found another use for grated fruits - they smoked it instead of tobacco.
And of course, there are many uses for the pulp of the fruit. When mixed with milk or water, you can get a healthy, nutritious drink. Capable of healing, the baobab fruit is used in herbal medicine to treatment of many common diseases. He is preventing stomach and colon disorders. The high content of valuable dietary fiber allows and.
Baobab fruits are effective in healing diarrhea, dysentery, hemoptysis and skin diseases. Consistent consumption of a baobab-based drink may reduce the risk of occurrence due to the high content of calcium and phosphorus. In fact, 100 grams of pulp contains an average of 293 mg, from 96 to 118 mg, about 2.31 mg and a huge variety of antioxidants, which are very important for getting rid of free radicals. Our "superfruit" contains and, which support the normal development of many internal organs, provide skin strength and cellular integrity of nerves. He is also rich improving eyesight.
Recently, the fruit has been found to be rich not only in prebiotics, but also in probiotic bacteria. The most important role of these bacteria is that they maintain balance in our body, protect against, improve the condition and fight inflammation of internal and external organs. In light of this, probiotic foods such as Baobab can prevent the development of the so-called. "yeast" infections, reduce the adverse effects of some antibiotics, and even defeat some serious bowel diseases.
Yes, baobab fruits are very valuable for their nutritional properties. Baobab is not just, but also natural source powerful energy, and a unique component of traditional medicine, which allows you to successfully fight many common diseases.
It is impossible not to mention the benefits of the baobab for. Baobab oil is great for people with delicate fair skin, as it helps protect it from both direct sun rays hot summer, and from the bitter cold in winter. In addition, it allows you to get rid of skin problems such as acne, wounds and cracks, eczema, rashes and even psoriasis.
Baobab is multifunctional. Its properties are unique and its title of "superfruit" of the 21st century is not in vain!
Baobab compared to other "superfruits"
Baobab takes pride of place among other superfruits, not inferior to them in useful properties, and on a number of positions leaving them far behind. You can get some idea of the baobab as a superfruit from the tables below.
Table: The content of vitamins and minerals in baobab fruits and some "superfruits" (in mg / 100g)
water soluble vitamins
Table: Antioxidant activity available fat soluble vitamins(measured in units of Trolox equivalent, a vitamin E analogue)
Table source: "SUMMARY REPORT: Nutritional Evaluation of Baobab Dried Fruit Pulp and its Potential Health Benefits". Prepared by Leatherhead Food Research for PhytoTrade Africa. 2009
Photo: African Baobab (Adansonia digitata)
The Bagryannikov family. Name: "Cercis" and Greek "phyllum"; with leaves like Cercis.The most famous representative of the genus is a truly fantastic tree that has become legendary, fiction, often depicted on stamps, paintings, posters.
Description Baobab African
It is not without reason considered the eighth wonder of the world. The unusually thick trunks of baobabs can reach a diameter of 9 m (the cross-sectional area of \u200b\u200bsuch a trunk is more than (50 m2), and, since the trees are low, the grotesque thickness is especially striking. Like other trees of the dry African savannas, baobabs develop a powerful root system that provides a plant more or less sufficient amount of moisture. Knotty, large diameter roots of baobabs often extend over the soil surface for tens of meters, occupying a huge space. (This "captivating" feature of the baobab was interestingly, symbolically interpreted by Saint-Exupery in "The Little Prince".)bloom baobabs more often on leafless branches. Their spherical flower buds, hanging on long pedicels, open in the evening or at night; then large white flowers appear with a peculiar rather pleasant smell that attracts pollinators. The 5-segmented calyx and corolla surround the stamen tube, ending in a bundle of numerous stamens, and among them, somewhat laterally, is the gynoecium, which is much longer than them. Flowers are pollinated at night bats, and in the morning they already wither, acquire an unpleasant odor and fall off.
Baobab fruits- ovoid, thick-walled, felt-pubescent boxes; they contain many small black seeds dispersed by animals. The seeds are embedded in a white pulp whose sour taste attracts many animals, especially monkeys, which is why the baobab is also called monkey bread.
The Indian botanist K. M. Waid is inclined to consider the baobab as the mythical tree "kalpa-vriksha", so often mentioned in the Indian epic and depicted in ancient sculptural decorations. According to legend, you just need to stand under the branches of a tree, and it, like our self-assembled tablecloth, will give everything that is asked of it. Baobab really gives a lot to a person. A coarse, unusually strong fiber is obtained from the bark, which is used to make fishing nets, bags, saddles, paper, and even clothing; the leaves are boiled and eaten as vegetables; fruits replace fruits, they also prepare a drink like "lemonade", hence another name for the baobab - lemonade tree. Hollow tree trunks are used as temporary dwellings and pantries for storing grain, and in the extremely arid regions of Africa they are specially adapted for water storage tanks. Baobabs are deciduous plants and, in their leafless state, often have the curious appearance of trees growing up roots, with branches spread over the ground. An African legend explains it this way. The Creator planted a baobab in the valley of the Congo River, but the tree began to complain about the dampness of those places. Then he was transplanted to the slope of the Lunar Mountains, but even here the baobab was not satisfied with his fate. Angry at the constant complaints of the tree, the creator pulled it out and threw it on dry African soil. Since then, the baobab has been growing upside down.
The extremely soft, supersaturated wood of baobabs is prone to fungal diseases, which is why the trunks of adult plants are usually hollow. Powerful-looking trees often turn out to be "colossi on clay feet", and elephants, although not without difficulty, fell them, eating not only leaves and branches, but also the damp wood of the trunks. The baobab also dies differently than other trees; it seems to crumble and, gradually settling, leaves behind only a pile of fibers on the surface of the earth. Nevertheless, baobabs are unusually tenacious, they are not afraid of either fire or water, as the Indian legend says. If its bark is burned or torn off, the tree quickly restores it. It continues to bloom and bear fruit, even when, at the whim of a person, its hollow trunk is filled with water or turned into a dwelling. Fallen trees also cling to life, quickly developing new roots, and their leaves do not stop assimilating. It is not surprising, therefore, that a tree with such seemingly fragile wood is one of the longest-lived plants on Earth. A. Humboldt called them the oldest organic monument of our planet, and calculations of the age of the African baobab carried out in our time by the method of radioactive carbon (according to C14) showed more than 5500 years for a tree with a diameter of 4.5 m. This is very close to the age determined by almost 200 years ago by the French botanist M. Adanson, in whose honor the genus was named. And although many researchers are frightened by such a large figure and there are definitions indicating a younger age of baobabs (3000 and even 1000 years), there is no doubt that baobabs are long-lived on the Earth.
Baobab is true amazing tree. It is considered not only the thickest tree in, but also the longest-lived. Baobab is able to live for more than 2000 years, and other scientists assure that more than 4 thousand years. However, it is not possible to verify this, because this tree does not have annual rings. In diameter, baobabs can reach 11 meters, and its height reaches 25 meters.
When it rains, the baobab stores water in its trunk, and even termites are unable to damage it, since its bark is soaked through with moisture, however, due to its oversaturation, baobabs are prone to fungal diseases and often mature trees have a hollow or half rotten trunk. In the rainy season, a tree can accumulate about 120 tons of water.
During the period of drought, despite the fact that the water is stored, the baobab has to slow down its vital activity and during this time its leaves turn yellow and fall off. Then it looks very unusual, it may seem that the upper branches are the roots, so the baobab is also called a tree with roots growing upwards. Baobab is not afraid and sandstorms because its roots go very deep into the ground.
This amazing tree begins to bloom only at night, and each flower lives only one night, despite the fact that flowering continues throughout the rainy season, from October to December. Baobab flowers are white and very large, which, as soon as they begin to open, have a pleasant smell, but after pollination they begin to emit an almost stench. And the flowers are pollinated by none other than bats, which are called palm fruit bats. Mice flock to pleasantly smelling buds and manage to pollinate all flowering trees during the night.
On the same night, the flowers fall off, and only fruits remain, which are black in color, and in their shape are very reminiscent of a cucumber. Baobab fruits can be eaten, both baboons and people eat them with pleasure. Their pulp contains black seeds and has a sour taste. From the same pulp, a drink is prepared that resembles lemonade and even coffee. Baobab lemonade perfectly quenches thirst and enriches the body with vitamins B and C, and coffee is prepared by roasting seeds.
Interestingly, if you tear off the bark from the baobab, then soon it grows again, and the fallen tree continues to grow if at least one root remains in the soil. When a tree reaches a certain age, it stops growing and its trunk decreases in diameter. It is known that the oldest baobab on the planet, whose age is determined at 6 millennia.
Baobabs also die unusually. They slowly settle down until they crumble, and leave behind a whole mountain of fairly strong fiber.
- Botanical description
- living conditions
- Origin legends
- Places of distribution
- Application
- Interesting Facts
Adansonia (lat. Adansonia), or baobab - a genus of tropical trees from the Malvaceae family. Lives in hot savannas. The exotic plant has about ten species distributed on the territory of the African mainland and the island of Madagascar.
Botanical description
The baobab does not look like an ordinary tree, it resembles a giant carrot sticking out of the ground with a bunch of tops or a small tower. In height, plants rarely reach 17–18 m, but the width of the trunks of individual specimens is up to 8–10 m. Closer to the top, the trees become thinner, but not by much.. The root system is branched. The roots spread widely to the sides of the trunks, finding and absorbing the slightest drops of moisture. These trees do not create thickets, prefer to grow singly.
Lateral shoots of baobabs are located almost at the crown, their entire length is bare trunks are covered with thick brownish-brown bark. Its upper part is quite soft, the lower one is more solid, it hides a large amount of moisture underneath. The branches are few, thickened, clumsy, form a torn shapeless crown. The leaves are brown-green, with a smooth surface, simple or palmate, five- or seven-lobed, about 10 cm long and 5 cm wide.
Baobabs bloom from October to December. White five-fingered corollas with long red stamens usually bloom on branches devoid of leaves. Buds grow up to 20 cm in diameter, hanging on short pedicels. Each flower lives no more than a day. In the evening, it emits a spicy aroma that attracts nearby insects and bats. By morning, the petals of the inflorescences are closed, an unpleasant putrefactive odor appears. After a few more hours, the bud completely withers, breaks off, falls to the ground. In its place remains the ovary. After a few weeks, fleshy fruits ripen, similar to swollen cucumbers or small melons. Under the light green fleecy thick shell, a mealy pulp is hidden, which has a sour taste, containing many small dark seeds.
The wood is soft, saturated with moisture, has no growth rings.
living conditions
Adansonia refers tosucculentswho can concentrate water in their fleshy tissues. Habitat conditions predispose to the survival of such species. Hot weather with long dry seasons, poor soils are detrimental to broad-leaved species with dense crowns, a lot of greenery. Baobabs during the drought period decrease in size, the trunks are noticeably blown away, the leaves fall off. The plant begins to economically spend the accumulated moisture. With the onset of the rainy season, the trees fill with water again, swell.
The vitality of baobabs is surprising. They do not die after the removal of most of the bark from the trunks, they grow from a small area of the root preserved after cutting down. Soft watery wood in hot conditions is easily affected by fungus. But even with severe destruction, rotting of the array, the formation of large voids, the tree continues to grow and bear fruit. The lifespan of adansonia is about 1000 years. Baobabs grow slowly. Annually they rise by 5-10 cm, are distributed in breadth up to 40 cm.
Origin legends
The inhabitants of the areas in which the baobab lives tell an ancient legend explaining the origin and strange appearance tree. God, creating the earth and all life on it, settled this plant in the most fertile and picturesque place near great river Congo. But the tree turned out to be capricious and did not want to stay there. He was disturbed by the sound of water, dampness. mountain valley from behind strong winds also did not like the baobab. For a long time God tried to please the tree by choosing different places. In the end, he got angry, uprooted the baobab and stuck it up by its roots in the most uninhabitable dry savannah. The plant had to get used to the new conditions, learn to absorb rare precipitation, come to terms with a curious appearance.
Another legend says that the baobab used to grow in heaven, reaching gigantic proportions. Once he was thrown from there to the ground, because the Creator decided to stop the development of the giant. The branches stuck into the soil, and the roots remained sticking up.
Places of distribution
Adansonia Gregory (lat. Adansonia gregorii) lives in the northwestern territories of Australia, in places where the climate is similar to the savannas of Africa.
Some species are distributed in the northern and western parts of Madagascar and throughout the African savannas: from Sudan to the southern tropical latitudes, from Mauritania to the east coast.
Aboriginal people in Madagascar consider the baobab a sacred tree.. They believe that in every locality there must be at least one amulet protecting the well-being of the inhabitants. Adansonia also serves as a source of food, water for people and animals. African elephants are very fond of eating these trees whole. Monkeys eat the pulp of the fruit. Because of this, baobabs got another name - monkey breadfruit.
Application
All parts of the tree contain a lot of moisture. Leaves, fruit pulp, bark are suitable for human consumption.
Bark
Seasoning for national dishes is made from the soft part of the tree bark. Ash is used in folk medicine as an antiseptic, analgesic and anti-inflammatory agent in colds, intestinal disorders, bites of poisonous insects and reptiles.
Bast fibers are used to weave baskets, mats, fishing nets, make ropes, threads. In Europe, paper is produced from this part of the bark.
Leaves and shoots
Greens and young branches of adansonia are eaten not only by animals. In some national cuisines it is a very popular ingredient. fresh leaves used in salads, soups, they are baked, boiled and stewed. Twigs are marinated, added to various dishes. Tinctures are prepared from dried leaves and shoots, used to treat inflammatory diseases.
Flower pollen from trees is used as a raw material for making soap and glue.
Fruits and seeds
The pulp of the baobab fruit is light cream in color, resembles a pumpkin in texture, and emits a ginger-like aroma. It is edible, contains vegetable proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins and many useful mineral compounds. It contains much more ascorbic acid and B vitamins than other fruits and vegetables. Eat both raw and dried fruits. The pulp is also dried, ground into powder, used to make a drink similar to ginger lemonade.
Raw seeds gnaw like a sunflower. Dried - finely ground, prepare a coffee drink from them.
It is believed that the fruits of baobabs perfectly relieve fatigue, prevent many diseases, saturate the body no worse than meat and bread.
Even the hard shell of the fruit comes into play. The halves of the shell are used as bowls for storing small items, set on fire and driven away by the smoke of tropical midges. Ashes are used to make hair preparations.
Wood
In industry, baobab wood is practically not used. It does not have the properties of building materials. Powerful trunks - a source of moisture. Loose fibers after drying go to the manufacture of ropes. Baobab roots contain a red pigment, and the sap is sometimes used as a natural dye.
- Baobab is depicted on the state emblems of some African republics.
- Adansonia baobab was named after the biologist Michel Adanson, who described the monstrous thickness of the tree. The circumference was about 55 m, and the age was more than 5000 years.
- Baobab bark is fireproof. If the trees still burn, then they continue to grow.
- Even fallen trees do not die. If the roots survived, then new branches and leaves grow on them. Baobabs are able to live in a horizontal position.
- Inside the soft watery trunks, due to fungus damage, huge hollows often form, more like caves. Residents use them as sheds, bathhouses, warehouses, houses and even prisons. Trees turned into various premises do not cease to live, continue to bloom, bear fruit.
- The root system penetrates to a great depth, fills all the adjacent space on the surface. Despite the fact that the crowns of baobabs do not give any shade, nothing grows under them. Not even small shrubs and grass. Root shoots take away all the nutrients, displace other flora.
- Baobabs that have outlived their time do not dry out, but gradually crumble and turn into a bunch of individual fibers. There are no hard mineral deposits in their wood, so when age changes occur in the bark and moisture leaves the trunks, nothing holds their skeleton. Decay occurs over several decades.
