Where does the baobab grow, or why do elephants eat wood. Amazing baobab tree Baobab habitat

Baobab is the most characteristic tree of the African savannah. He is famous for his unusual proportions. This amazing and mystical tree sometimes reaches 30 meters in height and more than 10 meters in width. Baobabs take a variety of forms from jugs to teapots ... The wood of the baobab is loose, contains a lot of water, which the plant stores for the dry season. The baobab can store as much as 120,000 liters of water to endure harsh drought conditions...



An African legend says that the creator planted a baobab in the valley of the Congo River, but the tree began to complain about dampness. Then the creator transplanted it to the slope of the Lunar Mountains, but even here the baobab was not satisfied. Angry at the constant complaints of the tree, the god pulled it out and threw it on dry African soil. Since then, the baobab has been growing upside down.
Baobab is a sacred tree in Africa And many myths and legends are associated with it ... For example, if you give a baby a drink from dishes made from baobab wood, he will become strong and powerful ...
And if you dare to pick a Baobab flower - a lion will eat you ... Well, if you drink water in which the seeds of this tree were soaked - you will become invulnerable to a crocodile ...

Baobabs in the world there are as many as 8 species.






The wide trunk of the baobab at the top splits into many intricately curved branches. The small leaves of its sucking do not correspond to the size of the tree. But it turns out that it is these leaves that enable the tree to tolerate drought well. The smaller the leaf size, the smaller the evaporation area and more possibilities keep moisture. Trees usually shed their leaves during the dry season. The baobab spends 9 months of the year without leaves. And the leaves are edible.






The locals have found a use for almost every part of the baobab. From its bark, a coarse, durable fiber is obtained, which is used to make fishing nets, ropes, mats and fabrics. Young leaves are added to salads, dry ones are used as spices; in Nigeria they are used to make soup. The pulp of the fruit, which tastes like ginger and is rich in vitamins C and B, is dried and ground into powder; diluted in water, it gives soft drink, slightly similar to "lemonade", hence another name for the baobab - lemonade tree. Roasted seeds are used as a coffee substitute.

Baobab fruits are 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.
Baobab fruits, as scientists have found, are rich in vitamins C, B1, B2, they also contain large amounts of calcium and antioxidants. At the same time, according to the content of vitamin C, baobab is 6 times ahead of oranges, and the calcium content in it is 2 times higher than in milk.

At the beginning of the wet season, huge flowers bloom (15-20 cm in diameter). They hang from long stalks like large snowballs with purple stamens. Each baobab flower lives only one night and withers at dawn. Feasting on the pollen and nectar of flowers, the bats and lemurs pollinate them. At night, these animals mysteriously rustle the foliage on the tree. No wonder the Africans believed that a spirit lives in every flower of the baobab.
After flowering, small fruits appear, which, growing, become the size of a zucchini.

In local medicine, the fruit pulp, juice, leaves and bark were used as remedies against various fevers and dysentery. A medicine similar to quinine is obtained from the bark of the baobab. Baobab pulp powder improves immunity, lowers cholesterol, and reduces menstrual pain. Baobab is especially good for the skin - it not only improves its condition, but also nourishes the skin, relieves irritation, inflammation and restores the epidermis in case of a burn.


Baobab is a delicacy for elephants. African giants eat them almost entirely, not only leaves and branches, but also the trunk.


Older baobabs often have hollows in their trunks. The dimensions of the hollow are sometimes so significant that Africans arrange a garage for cars in it. The hollow trunks of baobabs are used as temporary dwellings and pantries, and in some cases they were specially adapted for water storage tanks. There are cases when the hollow (from time to time) trunk of the baobab was used as a prison, bus stop or overnight stay. In some countries, enterprising residents set up shops and pubs in this huge African tree.


In the mythology of many African peoples baobab personifies life, fertility and appears as the guardian of the earth.

Baobab or Adansonia palmate (lat. Adansonia digitata) - a species of trees from the genus Adansonia of the Malvaceae family,
characteristic of the dry savannas of tropical Africa.

The name Adansonia is given to the genus in honor of the French botanist and African explorer Michel Adanson (1727-1806); the specific name "digitata" refers to the shape of the leaves - they are 5-7-fingered in the baobab.

Baobab is famous for its unusual proportions. This is one of the thickest trees in the world - with an average trunk circumference of 9-10 m, its height is only 18-25 m. At the top, the trunk is divided into thick, almost horizontal branches, forming a large, up to 38 m in diameter, crown.
In the dry period, in winter, when the baobab sheds its leaves, it takes on the curious appearance of a tree growing with its roots up.

An African legend says that the Creator planted a baobab in the valley of the Congo River, but the tree began to complain about dampness. Then the Creator transplanted it to the slope of the Lunar Mountains, but even here the baobab was not satisfied. Angry at the constant complaints of the tree, God pulled it out and threw it on dry African soil. Since then, the baobab has been growing upside down

The loose, porous wood of the baobab is able to absorb water like a sponge during the rainy season, which explains the unusual thickness of these trees - they are, in fact, huge water reservoirs. The collected liquid is protected from evaporation by a thick, up to 10 cm, grayish-brown bark, also loose and soft - a dent remains on it from a punch; however, her inner part bind together strong fibers.

In winter, during the dry period, the tree begins to use up moisture reserves - it decreases in volume and sheds foliage. Baobab blossoms from October to December.
flowers the baobab has large (up to 20 cm in diameter), white with five petals and purple stamens, on hanging pedicels.
They open in the late afternoon and live only one night, attracting the scent of bats that pollinate them. In the morning, the flowers wither, acquiring an unpleasant putrefactive odor, and fall off.

Next develop oblong fruit, which resemble cucumbers or melons, covered with a thick furry peel.
Inside the fruits are filled with sour mealy pulp with black seeds.
The fruits are edible. Because of the addiction to them monkeys (baboons), the baobab was nicknamed "monkey breadfruit."

Soft, water-saturated baobab wood is prone to fungal diseases, which is why the trunks of adult plants are usually hollow or hollow, rotten inside. The baobab also dies in a peculiar way: it seems to crumble and gradually settle, leaving behind only a pile of fiber. However, baobabs are extremely tenacious.
They quickly restore the stripped bark; continue to bloom and bear fruit with an empty core; a felled or felled tree is able to take on new roots.

The lifespan of baobabs is controversial - they do not have growth rings, which can be used to reliably calculate age.
Radiocarbon analysis (C14) estimates showed more than 5500 years for a tree with a diameter of 4.5 m, although according to more conservative estimates, baobabs live "only" 1000 years.

Usage
The locals have found a use for almost every part of the baobab.

A coarse, durable fiber is made from its bark, which is used to make fishing nets, ropes, mats and fabrics. Quite effective medicines are obtained from the ashes of the baobab bark against colds, fever, dysentery, cardiovascular diseases, asthma, toothache, and insect bites.

Young leaves are added to salads, dry ones are used as spices; in Nigeria they are used to make soup. Young shoots are boiled like asparagus.

Flower dust is used to make glue.

Fresh pulp resembles ginger in taste and is rich in vitamins C and B, and in terms of its nutritional value it is equal to veal. It is quickly absorbed by the body and relieves fatigue. The fruit pulp is also dried and ground into powder; diluted in water, it gives a soft drink, slightly similar to "lemonade", hence another name for the baobab - lemonade tree.

The seed of the fruit is edible raw, and a coffee substitute is brewed from roasted and crushed.

The dried hard shell of the fruit is used in place of the glass. The smoke from burning the dry inside of the fruit repels mosquitoes and other pesky insects.

From the ashes of the burnt fruit, soap is made and, most importantly, oil, on which you can fry.
Powder prepared from baobab fruit, women East Africa wash their heads
and the red juice that its roots contain is used to paint faces.

Until recently, the baobab was forbidden to be eaten in Europe, but a couple of years ago, permission was granted. True, Europeans will get acquainted with the new product only in a revised form.
Baobab fruit pulp is planned to be used in fruit cocktails and nectars, as well as muesli additives.

In local medicine, the fruit pulp, juice, leaves and bark were used as remedies against various fevers and dysentery. A medicine similar to quinine is obtained from the bark of the baobab. Baobab pulp powder improves immunity, lowers cholesterol, and reduces menstrual pain.
Baobab is especially good for the skin - it not only improves its condition, but also nourishes the skin, relieves irritation, inflammation and restores the epidermis in case of a burn.

Baobab is a delicacy for elephants. African giants eat them almost entirely, not only leaves and branches, but also the trunk.

Describing his African expeditions, the famous traveler David Livingston recalled how he saw 20-30 people sleeping sweetly inside a dried trunk, and no one interfered with anyone. In Kenya, on the Nairobi-Mombasa highway, there is a baobab shelter equipped with a door and a window. In Zimbabwe, a bus station was made from a single tree, in the “waiting room” of which up to forty people can fit. Near the town of Kasane in Botswana there is a baobab tree that was once used as a prison.

And in one of the oldest and largest trees on the planet, a pub was opened.

It all started with the fact that in 1990 the Van Heerdens bought a farm, which was located in the province of Limpopo and was called Sunland. It is noteworthy that the condition of the site was very deplorable, but a baobab grew there, the dimensions of which were very surprising, namely, it was as much as 22 meters in height, and the girth of the baobab is about 47 meters. Thus, this representative of the flora is the largest of its kind.

Studies conducted to establish the age of this tree showed that its age is about 6 thousand years, which exceeds the age of even the pyramids in Egypt.
In 1993, the Van Heerdens discovered that there was a cavity inside the tree and began cleaning it out. They were amazed by the size of the inside of the tree and decided to open a bar in it - Baobab bar

Due to the fact that by nature the baobabs are hollow inside, the tree trunk was practically not damaged during the construction of the bar.
So as windows and doors, as well as ventilation ducts, natural holes in the tree trunk were used.

Now in the bar "Baobab" you can see everything that should be in a traditional British pub - draft beer, bar stools, stereo, darts and even a telephone. The tree bar can accommodate more than fifty people, although ten to fifteen people will comfortably fit there.

The baobab is considered the national tree of Madagascar.
And in Japan there is Pepsi with the taste of baobab!

Synonym: adansonia palmate.

unique plant tree-shaped, the most durable and the largest in circumference in the world. Its trunk reaches 8 meters in diameter and 20 meters high. Baobab is used in medicine, cosmetology, cooking and other industries.

Ask the experts

flower formula

In medicine

"Tree-Pharmacy" - that's what they call locals symbolic plant baobab. It is considered the elixir of health for almost all diseases. For medicinal purposes, the fruits, leaves and bark of the plant are used. The pulp of the fruit contains natural fiber fibers, which ensure the normal functioning of the intestines. Baobab pulp is an excellent prebiotic for restoring healthy intestinal microflora.

Due to its unique composition, baobab has an antitoxic, immunomodulatory effect, normalizes hormonal balance, has an anti-allergic, analgesic, antipyretic, anti-inflammatory effect on the human body. It is indicated for women during pregnancy and lactation, as it contains a significant amount of the calcium mineral. Baobab fruits have high concentrations of potassium, 5 times more than bananas, sweet potatoes or tomato paste. The use of fruit pulp in food can reduce the risk of diseases of the cardiovascular system. Tannin is an important component of the composition of the plant, which normalizes the work gastrointestinal tract. Ascorbic acid in dry wood powder promotes active regeneration of skin epithelium cells, heals wound surfaces. Essential oil baobab is a unique product and ingredient in cosmetic products for face and body skin care.

In cooking

Fresh leaves are used by the locals for making salads and baking bread. Nigerians cook soup from young leaves, boil shoots like asparagus. A decoction of foliage has tonic properties, helps to endure the summer heat. Powdered baobab bark replaces pepper and salt. The fruits are eaten raw, calling them "monkey bread", they are used to make a refreshing drink "meriss", reminiscent of lemonade in taste (hence another of the names of the baobab - "lemonade tree"). Roasted, pre-ground baobab fruits make a coffee substitute. Juice - a bright ruby ​​​​color, is considered a delicacy among tourists.

In cosmetology

Cosmetic preparations based on baobab leaves, fruits and essential oil have antioxidant, tonic properties. Due to the high percentage of vitamin C in the composition of the plant, the aging process in the cells slows down, and the products for the skin of the face and body, hair care have a nourishing, moisturizing, rejuvenating and soothing effect. The seeds of the fruits of the plant contain all the necessary substances: vitamins C, A, D, E, F, fatty acids. The main property of baobab essential oil is the saturation of the skin with moisture, and its active components increase the elasticity of the skin, slowing down the aging process of the skin.

Baobab oil is used for hair, makes it silky and healthy, restores damaged structure, activates the growth of hair follicles, it is easily and quickly absorbed, does not leave a greasy sheen, is used for all skin types. It is used to treat dermatitis, psoriasis, eczema of the scalp. Strengthens nails, fights against their fragility, and in combination with retinol in special creams helps to cure acne on the face. Baobab tree oil is contained in cosmetic lines for pregnant women, prevents stretch marks on the skin, maintains its elasticity.

In other areas

Africans have found use in almost all parts of the baobab in the distant past. The bark is used to make a coarse, durable fiber for fishing nets, zinc coatings, ropes and fabrics. The ash of the tree bark is the basis of medicines against colds, dysentery, fever, cardiovascular diseases, toothache, asthma, insect bites. It also produces soap and oil for frying. Flower dust is used to make glue. The dried peel of the fruit is used as a container. Baobab Powder - good remedy for washing the hair of local women, and the red juice contained in the roots of the tree is used for traditional face painting. Baobab is the national symbol of the inhabitants of Madagascar. The image of a tree is present on the coats of arms of some countries.

Classification

Baobab or Adansonia palmate (Latin Adansonia digitata) is one of nine species of trees of the Adansonia genus of the Malvaceae family.

Botanical description

Baobab is a tree of the African savannas, the trunk circumference of which reaches up to 10 m, its height is up to 30 m. A giant deciduous tree, quite exotic. Its crown resembles roots, and the baobab itself, in its leafless state, looks like the trunk of a mighty tree-like plant turned upside down with a rhizome. During the drought period (in winter), the baobab sheds its leaves, and uses moisture from a huge storage trunk. Wood consists of porous and soft tissues, which, like a sponge, are able to absorb large amounts of water during the rainy season. A huge trunk during the period of drought "loses weight", giving away moisture reserves.

The flowers form on the leafless branches of the tree between October and December. White, large, up to 20 cm in diameter, baobab flowers hang beautifully on long pedicels. The corolla consists of 5 petals and a bunch of numerous long purple stamens. The flowers begin to open in the late afternoon and bloom for only 1 night, attracting bats pollinating them with their aroma. The next morning, the flowers wither and acquire an unpleasant putrefactive odor, and then fall off. Baobab flower formula: P3+(5)L5T (∞)P(∞).

The fruits are black capsules, which resemble melons in shape and size. Covered with soft fur. Inside the fruit there is a white, tart-sour pulp with a large number of black seeds, which is equivalent in nutritional value to veal, and in palatability ginger. Monkeys like to eat the pulp, and the tree itself attracts the attention of elephants. These animals can eat almost the whole baobab during a period of drought, because thousands of liters of water are placed in the fibers inside the wood.

Baobab is a kind of plant, the wood of which is extremely susceptible to fungal diseases. Therefore, tree trunks are usually hollow, often rotted from the inside, or hollow. This long-liver can exist for thousands of centuries. Scientists have recorded the approximate age of baobabs - 5000 years. These African exotics also die off in a peculiar way, crumbling and turning into a pile of fiber. And yet baobabs have amazing vitality. The peeled bark is quickly restored. Plants are not afraid of fires: they can grow and bear fruit even with an empty core, a fallen or cut down tree takes on new roots, giving the baobab a second life.

Spreading

Baobabs grow in the savannas of the tropics and semi-deserts of the African continent. . Six species are endemic to Madagascar. The most common species is the African Baobab (Adansonia digitata), found in continental Africa, and the Australian Baobab, or Adansonia Gregory, or boab (Adansonia gregorii (syn. Adansonia gibbosa) - in Australia.

Procurement of raw materials

Baobab - the tree of eternity, leaves, fruits, bark of the plant are not harvested for future use.

Chemical composition

The composition of the baobab is unique, it contains a large percentage of ascorbic acid, B vitamins, trace elements - magnesium, potassium, calcium, zinc, phosphorus, iron. The systematic use of these beneficial substances inside helps to strengthen the immune, cardiovascular system, normalizes blood pressure, normalizes the condition of nails and teeth. In addition, bioflavonoids, provitamin A, antioxidants, alpha-linolenic, citrus, apple, soluble fiber are inherent in the baobab.

If we compare some products with baobab, then there are 4 times more antioxidants in adansonia than in apples and kiwis, 6 times more vitamin C than in oranges, 3 times more calcium than in cow's milk, 5 times more potassium, than in bananas, tomato paste, sweet potatoes. In terms of energy value (346 kcal / 100g), the baobab overtakes the true leader - the banana (87 kcal / 100g). 100 grams of fruit pulp contains 52 g of fiber (insoluble fiber), which improves intestinal motility, cures dysbacteriosis, and can be a prophylactic against intestinal oncology.

Pharmacological properties

Due to the unique composition of the plant, rich in minerals and vitamins, baobab products have antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, resolving properties. Almost every organ of the tree is used for the prevention and treatment of various diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, cardiovascular, immune and endocrine systems.

Preparations from baobab are known in official medicine. Baobab Life is a pharmacological agent with a wide range action, rich in natural plant fibers, antioxidants and prebiotics. The pulp of the fruit of the plant is the basis of the drug. The fruits contain pectins, glucides, theofelin, ascorbic acid, astringent tannin and other equally important active substances. The prebiotic inulin in the composition of the baobab has a beneficial effect on the intestinal microflora, restores the necessary balance, normalizes the functioning of the digestive tract, and normalizes the hormonal background. Baobab essential oil is used not only in cosmetics, it is effective for various skin irritations, promotes wound healing, regeneration of epithelial cells.

According to doctors, an excess amount of sodium, as well as a deficiency of potassium in the diet, accelerate the development of heart disease and increase the risk of stroke. Baobab fruits successfully improve the balance of minerals, prevent thickening of the walls of arterial vessels, and protect against the development of vascular damage caused by high salt (sodium) consumption.

History reference

Baobab is a tree-symbol for Africans, "pharmacy tree", "tree of magic", "tree of life". Translated from the Arabic "buhubab", the name baobab means a fruit with many seeds. The plant symbolizes eternity, strength, power. The famous naturalist and traveler Alexander von Humboldt approved another symbolic name for the baobab - "one of the oldest monuments on the planet." A drink made from the fruits of the "lemonade tree" has excellent taste, nutritional and medicinal properties, it restores strength and quenches thirst, resembling lemonade in taste.

There are many legends about a tree growing with its roots up. One of them says that the gods gave the seeds to the animals to plant the baobab. The seeds went to the hyena, and last, after all. An angry hyena planted them in the ground, but vice versa. Since then, the baobab has been growing with its roots towards the sky.

The sacred African tree has magical properties. Travelers took baobab seeds with them, it brought them good luck. Ancient magicians made charmed talismans from the raw materials of the plant for strength and health, a healing potion from the leaves also had unique healing properties for many diseases.

The name Adansonia was given to the genus by Linnaeus in honor of the French explorer and African botanist Michel Adanson; the specific name of the baobab "digitata" refers to the shape of the leaves - they are 5-7 palmate in a tree.

Application in traditional medicine

Baobab for locals is a real pharmacy. The unique composition of leaves, fruits, tree bark allows the plant to be used to treat many common ailments. Flour products are considered typical food of the African population. Due to the lack of fermented milk products and milk, there are disorders of the digestive tract, outbreaks of dysentery, diarrhea. Drinks from the pulp of the fruit solve these problems, thanks to the active component tannin with an astringent effect and other beneficial substances. The drink also contains acids and vitamins, which allows you to restore the level of fluid in the body.

The fruits and leaves are used to make medicinal decoctions. beneficial features plants proven scientific research in medicine. Baobab pulp is used to treat measles and chickenpox, to normalize the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, the cardiovascular system, the treatment of diabetes and oncology. Tree bark powder is a good antiseptic used to heal wounds.

Baobab oil has the ability to intensively moisturize the skin of any type. The driest, most dehydrated skin gets a healthy look thanks to oil-based products. Another feature of the plant ether is the ability to heal sunburn, relieve various skin irritations and dryness. Baobab is an excellent natural antioxidant. Preparations based on this plant remove age-related wrinkles from the skin of the face, correct the oval of the face, even out its color, and promote the resorption of spots and scars.

Literature

1. Baobab // encyclopedic Dictionary Brockhaus and Efron: In 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - St. Petersburg, 1890-1907.

2. Yu.K. Schoolboy Plants. Complete encyclopedia of plants. - M.: EKSMO, 2009. - S. 116-117. - 256 p.

Africa has its own special plant. In Africa, the baobab grows. Many people have heard about this amazing tree.

The baobab has many names: a giant crab, a huge nest, an inverted carrot. Well, its scientific name is Adansonia Palmate from the Malvaceae family.

Its leaves are really palmate, and they fall off in the heat. If you have seen a baobab, you will not confuse it with any other. The trunk of this tree is unlike any other.

Description of the baobab

Any continent of the earth often differs from others not only in its geographic location and geology, but also flora and fauna. Some types of flora are, so to speak, his special feature or business card.

They say that according to one African legend, the appearance of the baobab is explained by the fact that God was angry and pulled it out of the ground. Then, calming down, he again planted a tree in African savannah, but was scattered at that time and therefore the roots of the baobab were at the top. This is how they explain that the crown of the tree has few leaves and its trunk is specific. It is said that one baobab can draw 100 tons of water.

Growing in dry tropical savannahs, the tree is famous for its thickness and longevity. In height, it can reach 18-25 meters, and in girth the trunk is often up to 10 meters. Growing for several hundred years, baobabs can amaze you with the fact that their trunk girth is 40 meters or more. Due to the fact that the tree does not have growth rings, it is difficult to determine the age of the plant. Baobab has been growing for a thousand years, and the age is determined by radiocarbon dating. The age of one tree with a diameter of 43.5 m was determined at 5500 years. Hardly anything else flora can boast of such longevity.

Most a big tree in Africa it is the Sunland Baobab in South Africa. The girth of the trunk of this tree is more than 45 meters, and the height is almost 22 meters. sunland baobab is unique tree, inside which local entrepreneurs placed a small pub. Moreover, nothing had to be hollowed out, because it is a natural cavity inside the barrel. The pub was built back in 1933 and it is still alive, like the tree itself. Visitors who want to drink a mug of beer or something stronger in this pub are more than enough.

And in the Republic of Botswana, near the city of Kasana, a baobab hollow was used as a prison for prisoners.

Being in Zambia at the Kayila Lodge camp site, if you suddenly feel an urge, do not be surprised that you will have to defecate in such a bao-toilet-baba

The baobab has adapted to the dry period, immediately sheds its leaves and decreases in volume. Blooms from October to December. Flowers up to 20 cm with 5 white petals and purple stamens on hanging pedicels. They bloom at night and attract bats with their smell, which pollinate the flowers. In the morning, the flowers begin to wither and fall off already with a putrid odor.

The fruits are similar to melons or cucumbers, which are covered with a shaggy skin. Inside, sour mealy pulp with black seeds. Most often, rafts are eaten by monkeys and therefore the fruits are called "monkey breadfruit". Elephants eat leaves and branches. Baobabs are also suitable for human nutrition.

Baobab wood is soft and filled with water. Because of this, the tree often suffers from fungal diseases. The trunks are hollow. The baobab dies in its own way. The trunk crumbles and settles, then only one fiber remains. The tree can quickly recover from diseases and re-grow bark, bloom and bear fruit, with an empty core in the trunk. Even a felled or fallen tree can take on new roots. If one root is left in the ground, then the trunk can grow horizontally. It happens that for unknown reasons, the baobab may not look quite normal, as if someone tied it in a knot.

Baobab species

Although the habitats of baobabs are very limited, there are several varieties of baobab, and all of them, although relatives, are still noticeably different from each other and grow in different places. So two species grow in Africa: Adansonia digitata and Adansonia kilima. There are six species in Madagascar: Adansonia grandidieri, Adansonia madagascariensis, Adansonia perrieri, Adansonia rubrostipa or otherwise Adansonia fony, Adansonia suarezensis and Adansonia za. In Australia, there is only one species - Adansonia gregori or otherwise Adansonia gibbosa. Learn more about these types:

1. Adansonia digitalis or Adansonia digitata. This is exactly the most famous and widespread African baobab. This is a large tree up to 25 m high and with a trunk diameter up to 12 m covered with gray smooth, sometimes bumpy bark. Of all the varieties of baobabs in Madagascar and Australia, only the adansonia digitalis has white hanging flowers. The fruits of this baobab are different shapes: round, ovoid, oval. Its homeland is the semi-arid part of the Sahara desert.

2., the most beautiful of the baobabs. This tree is up to 25 m tall and up to 3 m in diameter. It has an even cylindrical trunk, tapering towards the top, covered with a reddish-gray, smooth bark. Branches grow only in the upper part, the crown is almost horizontal. The flowers are white, becoming yellowish with age. The fruits are ovoid or round shape with reddish plumage. It will melt in the west of Madagascar in the areas of Morondava and Morombe. Named after Alfred Grandidier, French botanist and explorer of Madagascar. Adansonia grandidieri is the symbol of Madagascar.

3. - very rare view baobab. A tree of large and medium size, found about 30 m high. They have uneven crowns with thick branches growing almost horizontally or at an angle. The flowers of adansonia perrieri are yellow or yellow-orange. The fruits are large up to 30 cm in size with small seeds. It grows only in the north of Madagascar in the province of Antsiranana. It is considered an endangered species, no more than 10 habitats of this species are known.

4. or Mountain Baobab very similar to Adansonia digitata. Outwardly, it is difficult to distinguish, the difference is noticeable in the form of flowers. It was selected as a special species after careful study due to the fact that it is tetraploid, that is, it has 4n chromosomes in cells, unlike other diploid ones, which have 2n chromosomes. It grows in eastern Africa, in Namibia, in the mountains above 650 meters above sea level.

5. also an endangered species. The tree is tall, single-stemmed, up to 25 m tall and up to 2 m in diameter, tapering from the foot to the top. The branches grow almost horizontally, so the crown is flat. The flowers are white, the fruits are oblong. The seeds are the largest of all baobabs. For one kg. there are 450 pieces, instead of the usual 1000. It grows only in the north of Madagascar in the province of Antsiranana.

6. . Tree of various heights, from 5 to 30 meters. The barrel is cylindrical or conical. Branches usually grow upwards. The flowers are yellow. Fruits are oblong up to 30 cm in size. Often almost black. Adansonia za is the most common type of baobab in Madagascar. It grows in the west of the island, mainly in the province of Toliara.

7. - baobab of various sizes and shapes with an irregular crown. Height from 5 to 20 meters. The bark is light grey. The flowers are red. The fruits are round, about 10 cm in size. Distributed in dry or semi-dry forests in the northwestern part of Madagascar in the province of Mehejanga.

8. Adansonia rubrotype(rubrostipa), or Adansonia fony. The smallest species of Madagascar baobabs. The usual height of these trees is 4-5 m, but sometimes they are up to 20 m. The trunk of this bottle-shaped. The bark is grey, turning brown to reddish with age. The leaves are lacy, the crown is irregular. Flowers are yellow or orange. The fruits are round, with red plumage. It grows mainly in the province of Tulear in the west of Madagascar.

9. or Adansonia gibos. A low-growing tree, up to 10 meters, with a bottle-shaped trunk covered with gray smooth bark. Crown is shapeless. Flowers white or light cream. The fruits are round or ovoid. It grows only in the north and northwest of Australia.

Application of baobab

The local population uses baobabs in everyday life as shelter, food, medicine, and water. Young leaves are used to make salads, soups, while dry ones become a seasoning. Crushed bark replaces pepper. The oil from the fruit is used in cooking. The pulp of baobab fruits is rich in vitamins B and C. It tastes like ginger, and is not inferior in calories to veal. It relieves fatigue, is well absorbed. Therefore, it is dried and ground into flour.

By diluting flour in water, you get a drink that tastes like lemonade. Because of this, some people call the baobab the "lemonade tree". True, such a drink is not common in Europe and America, but exotic Cola and Pepsi from baobab are already produced in quite large quantities and they are in fairly good demand. Baobab seeds can also be used in nutrition; roasted and crushed seeds can be used to make a quite tolerable drink resembling coffee. And raw seeds are an effective antidote for strophanthus, a poison that many smear arrowheads with.

The baobab is often referred to as the "Pharmacy Tree" or "Tree of Life". And indeed it is. It has been proven that baobab fruits contain many amino acids, micro and macro elements, and vitamins. In terms of antioxidants, they are superior to orange, blueberries, blueberries, kiwi, and apples. And according to the content of vitamin C - bananas and oranges. Baobab is rich in vitamin F, A, C, group B, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, iron, zinc, manganese, sodium, pectins, natural acids, amino acids, fiber. In ancient times, the baobab has been used to treat and prevent a number of diseases. It is used for diarrhea, restores intestinal motility, prevents and treats dysbacteriosis, gastritis, improves the quality of skin, hair and nails, is used for allergies, normalizes stools, reduces varicose veins, prevents anorexia and anemia, treats hemorrhoids, osteoporosis, normalizes intestinal microflora, increase immunity. AT last years in pharmacies in the United States and Europe, you can buy dietary supplements and food ingredients from it. Baobab life is very popular. This new drug is increasingly used in different countries, including in Russia.

Ash from tree bark traditional medicine used to treat fever, cardiovascular disease, toothache, dysentery, asthma, colds, insect bites. The oil is used in cosmetics, smeared externally with psoriasis, eczema and dermatitis. And flower dust has a sticky essence and glues all objects. The fruits of the plant are dried and used instead of glasses. Dry fruit is set on fire and saved by smoke from mosquitoes and other insects. The resulting ash is then used to make soap. Women wash their hair with powder from the fruit, and dye their hair and face with red juice from the roots. The bark gives a strong but coarse fiber that is used to weave fishing nets, mats, ropes or fabrics.

The inhabitants of Africa consider the baobab a tree that keeps the earth, gives life and fertility. No wonder this tree is depicted on the coats of arms of the Central African Republic and Senegal. Baobab has not yet been fully explored and holds many secrets.