TREE, BAOBAB

Adansonia digitata

Seeds per packet -10

Germination Rate 91% Packed for 2023

Baobabs are long-lived deciduous, small to large trees from 20 to 100 ft tall with broad trunks and compact tops. Young trees usually have slender, tapering trunks, often with a swollen base. Mature trees have massive trunks that are bottle-shaped or cylindrical and tapered from bottom to top. The trunk is made of fibrous wood arranged in concentric rings, although rings are not always formed annually and so cannot be used to determine the age of individual trees. Tree diameter fluctuates with rainfall so it is thought that water may be stored in the trunk.

Found throughout Africa, Australia, and Asia the “upside-down tree” is instantly recognizable by its unusual root-like branches which are seasonally devoid of foliage. It thrives in the hotter, drier regions thanks to its massive trunk which can hold up to 80 gallons of water.

According to African folklore, the baobab tree was amongst the first to appear on the land, followed by the palm tree. The baobab was envious of the palm tree’s height and cried that it wanted to be taller. When the beautiful flame tree appeared, the baobab longed to have such vibrant flower blossoms. And when the baobab saw the magnificent fig tree, it prayed for fruit of its own. But the gods became angry with the baobab’s covetous nature, pulling it up by its roots and replanting it upside down to keep it quiet.

The fruit of the tree is round or oval shaped, with a furry coating around a hard shell. This shell protects a number of seeds which are embedded in a whitish, powdery-soft pulp called “monkey bread”. This pulp gives rise to the tree’s other nickname, the “monkey bread tree”.