the baobab tree
No matter how you look at it, The Baobab tree is one of Nature’s truly remarkable creations. The Baobab has evolved in a way that lets it make optimum use of very scarce resources. It flourishes and produces fruit on the semi-arid savannahs of Sub-saharan Africa.
In fact, the Baobab is among the largest and longest-lived trees on earth. It survives prolonged droughts by storing water in its massive, fibrous, sponge-like trunk which can be up to 30 to 60 feet in diameter. That trunk can be hollowed out to make a shelter, or cut into water containers. When in leaf, the Baobab produces an edible fruit that has the highest concentration of Vitamin C of any plant. The leaves themselves are rich in Vitamin A and the shade of those leaves and branches provides a relatively cool refuge for other living things in the sub-Saharan heat.
Baobab trees alive today were growing when the Roman Empire ruled Europe, northern Africa and the Middle East. When their leaves have fallen, the gnarly, twisted trunks and branches of Baobabs stand like sentinels on the arid landscape of Africa. For millennia people have gathered below the branches of the Baobab to debate and discuss important issues and ideas. For some cultures it is the tree under which man was born. The Baobab tree is a symbol of endurance, conservation, creativity, ingenuity and dialogue.
