What On Earth Is Baobab: A Quick Description On This New Supertree | Natural DB
Wednesday, April 11th, 2012“
There are countless benefits we can get from trees, such as using them for food, shelter, medicine, paper, etc.
But apart from its common benefits, there are certain varieties of trees that are deemed as supertrees, earning the title the tree of life because of a vast number of uses, from the roots to the leaves. One famous example is Baobab tree. What is Baobab?
Commonly seen in the savannas of India and Africa, the tree can live for thousands of years and can grow beyond 25 meters. This tree is gaining popularity, being a source of food, water storage container and many medicinal properties. Scientifically called Adansonia digitata, Baobab is famous for its wide trunk, only exceed by sequoia in terms of trunk diameter. Although it has an enormous girth, the tree isnt too tall and hence, has a bottlelike look.
Baobab produces fruit that are oval in shape and furry.
It is edible and the meat has a powdery texture and many seeds. Its unique characteristic of being leafless for nine months causes many people to call it as upside-down tree. It is because when viewed from afar, the intricate leafless branches look like tiny capillary roots.
It is also nicknamed as monkey bread tree because its fruit is very appealing to baboons. What is Baobab and its Benefits Baobab tree has the ability to store large volumes of water, containing nearly 30 000 gallons of water for larger trees. This water is then used by local nomads who dont have any means to acquire water. To collect water from the trees, they use hollow straws to absorb and suck out water.
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From: (baobab tree pictures) http://www.herbaldb.com/baobab/20111004/what-is-baobab-a-brief-description-on-this-new-supertree/