Mysterious baobab: a miracle tree. African baobab tree: baobab fruits and flowers, photos, videos, pictures Baobab leaves
Nicknamed the “Superfruit,” the baobab fruit has become a popular addition to several foods considered health foods.
Having a velvety surface, this fruit is similar in appearance to a coconut. Dividing it into two halves, you will see dry, mealy pulp inside, which is saturated with various antioxidants, And many other useful elements. For this set of useful substances, baobab is called a “superfruit” and “super-food” - that is, names that no one would ever think of calling an ordinary apple or orange.
In terms of 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 healthy bones. The pulp of the fruit is very rich in fiber and contains prebiotics, which stimulate the growth of “good” lacto- and bifidobacteria in the intestines.
Naturally, from time immemorial, baobab fruits have been used by local African tribes 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 other uses for the fruit ground into it - it was smoked instead of tobacco.
And of course, there are many uses for the fruit pulp. When mixed with milk or water, you can get a healthy, nutritious drink. Able to heal, the baobab fruit is used in herbal medicine for treatment of many common diseases. He is the one who prevents stomach and colon disorders. The high content of valuable dietary fiber allows...
Baobab fruits are effective in treating diarrhea, dysentery, hemoptysis and skin diseases. Regular consumption of baobab-based drink can reduce the risk due to its high calcium and phosphorus content. 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 leather strength and cellular integrity of nerves. He is also rich improving vision.
It was recently discovered that the fruit is 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 may prevent the development of so-called. yeast infections, reduce the adverse effects of certain antibiotics, and even combat some serious intestinal diseases.
Yes, baobab fruits are very valuable for their nutritional properties. Baobab is not just a plant, but also a natural source of powerful energy and a unique component of traditional medicine, which makes it possible to successfully combat many common diseases.
It is impossible not to mention the benefits of baobab for. Baobab oil is great for people with delicate fair skin, as it allows you to protect it from both direct sunlight in the hot summer and from bitter frost 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 it is not in vain that it bears the title of “superfruit” of the 21st century!
Baobab compared to other “superfruits”
Baobab occupies an honorable place among other superfruits, not inferior to them in terms of beneficial properties, but in a number of positions leaving them far behind. You can get some idea about baobab as a superfruit from the tables below.
Table: 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, an analogue of vitamin E)
Source of tables: "SUMMARY REPORT: Nutritional Evaluation of Baobab Dried Fruit Pulp and its Potential Health Benefits." Prepared by Leatherhead Food Research for PhytoTrade Africa. 2009
Baobab is unique in everything: in size, proportions, life expectancy. Even its excellent survival rate will be the envy of any plant. Baobab is an amazing tree. He is the most prominent representative of the African savannahs, which live for an amazingly long time in the arid tropics.
The largest baobab tree
Reaching a good ten meters in girth of the trunk, the baobab cannot boast of any particular height: 18-25 meters is its usual height. Although there are individual representatives of this species that have broken all records: in 1991, one baobab was included in the famous Guinness Book, reaching almost 55 meters in trunk girth, other specimens exceeded the 150-meter height limit. And there are even legends about the lifespan of this giant: it is officially recognized that the tree lives from 1000 to 6000 years. The trunk ends abruptly at the top, spreading thick branches to the sides and forming a crown up to 40 meters in diameter. This is a deciduous plant and during the period of shedding its leaves it resembles a baobab tree turned upside down. The tree, the photo of which is presented, confirms its funny appearance. But it can be fully explained by the growing conditions on dry African lands. The thick trunk is an accumulator of nutrients and water reserves that the baobab needs. The tree has a second name - Adansonia palmata. This “name” combines the characteristic appearance of 5-7-fingered leaves with the perpetuation of the name of the French biological researcher Michel Adanson.
The Legend of the Capricious Baobab
It was the associations that came to mind with a tree whose roots are located at the top instead of the crown, most likely, which served as fertile ground for the birth of the legend about the origin of the baobab. They say that when the world was created, the Creator planted a tree in a deep valley, but the plant did not like the coolness and dampness of this place. The Creator heeded his requests and moved him to the mountain slopes, but the baobab did not like the winds generated in the gorges and blowing over the rocks. And then, tired of the endless whims of the tree, God tore it out of the ground and, turning it over, stuck its roots up in an arid valley. Until now, during the period of shedding its leaves, the baobab tree, with its entire appearance, reminds of the wrath of the gods - a tree that is not at all capricious, on the contrary, it has learned to survive and protect all living things around.
The incredible vitality of the tree is amazing: it quickly regenerates damaged bark, grows and bears fruit with a completely decomposed core or in its absence. People often use the hollow trunks of baobab trees for their needs. It is not uncommon to use baobab trunks for grain storage or as water reservoirs. They are adapted for housing by cutting out windows and this is facilitated by the rather soft core of the tree, which, however, is vulnerable to fungal infections. The cavities inside the tree, cleared of the core, have sufficient areas for arranging indoor spaces for various purposes. For example, in Kenya, a baobab grows, serving as a temporary shelter for wanderers, and in Zimbabwe there is a baobab bus station that can accommodate up to 40 people at a time. In Limpopo, a 6,000-year-old giant opened a baobab bar, which is incredibly popular and is a local landmark.
A tree for all occasions
The universal plant is unique in all its manifestations. Baobab flowers with a pleasant musky scent bloom in the evening, pollination occurs at night, and in the morning they
fall off. The fruits of the baobab, resembling thick zucchini in shape, hanging on long stalks, are very tasty, have a high content of vitamins and minerals, and can be equivalent in nutritional value to veal. On the outside they are covered with a fleecy skin. The local population appreciates them for their pleasant taste, rapid absorption by the body and ability to relieve fatigue. The seeds of the fruit are roasted, crushed and used to prepare a high-quality coffee substitute. The dried inner part of the fruit can smolder for a long time, driving away blood-sucking insects, and the ash is used to make oil (surprisingly!) for frying, as well as soap. The leaves of the tree are a storehouse of useful substances. They are used to make soups, salads and cold appetizers. The shoots of young asparagus have an excellent taste. Baobab is a tree whose pollen is an excellent base for making glue. Paper, coarse fabric, and twine, reminiscent of Russian hemp, are made from porous bark and soft wood.
Medicinal properties of baobab
Ash from combustion is not only a universal fertilizer, but also the main component for the production of very effective medicines for viral colds, fevers, dysentery, heart and vascular diseases, toothache, asthma, and insect bites. A tincture prepared from baobab leaves relieves kidney disease.
Among the wonderful representatives of African flora, the baobab occupies a leading position. The tree, a photo of which can be seen in the article, is an invaluable gift of nature.
BAOBAB, or ADANSONIA FINGERLY (lat. Adansonia digitata) is a tropical tree with a very thick trunk from the genus Adansonia of the Malvaceae family, characteristic of the Australian semi-deserts and dry savannas of tropical Africa. Sometimes the name "baobab" is used to refer to all types of adansonia.
ADANSONIA (Adansonia L.) - large trees from Africa and Australia, including African baobab ( Adansonia digitata). A genus of plants in the Malvaceae family, including 8 species of trees. Plants reach 3 - 30 m in height and have a trunk diameter of 7 - 11 m. The name "Adansonia" was given to the genus (1753) in honor of Adanson Michel (French Michel Adanson, 1727-1806) - French botanist, traveler, philosopher, detail who described the baobab; one of the founders of the natural system of plant classification; one of the first to apply mathematical methods in biology.
The specific name "digitata" refers to the shape of the leaves - they are 5 - 7-fingered in the baobab tree. Among trees, the baobab rightfully holds the world record. The baobab is famous for its unusual size. 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 (the Guinness Book of Records for 1991 talks about a baobab with a diameter of as much as 54.5 m). At the top, the trunk is divided into thick, almost horizontal branches, forming a large crown, up to 38 m in diameter. During the dry period, in winter, when the baobab sheds its leaves, it takes on the curious appearance of a tree growing with its roots upward.
An African legend says that the Creator planted a baobab tree in the Congo River valley, but the tree began to complain of dampness. Then the Creator transplanted it to the slope of the Moon Mountains, but even here the baobab was not happy. Angry at the constant complaints of the tree, God tore it out and threw it onto dry African soil. Since then, the baobab has been growing upside down.
The lifespan of baobabs is controversial - they do not have growth rings from which age can be reliably calculated. Calculations carried out using radiocarbon dating showed more than 5,500 years for a tree with a diameter of 4.5 m, although according to more conservative estimates, baobabs live only 1,000 years.
Unlike most other trees, the baobab does not die: if its bark is torn off, it grows back. Nothing happens to the baobab even if it falls to the ground. As long as at least one root remains in contact with the soil, the tree continues to grow lying down.
Huge hollows often form in the trunks of these “fat green guys.” Thus, the outstanding English traveler David Livingston wrote that he saw 20-30 people sleeping sweetly in the hollow of a dried baobab trunk, and no one bothered anyone. In the Republic of Kenya, on the Nairobi-Mobasa highway, there is a baobab shelter - a hollow in it is equipped with doors and a window. In the Republic of Zimbabwe, a bus station was installed in the hollow of a tree, with a waiting room that can accommodate up to 40 people. Near the town of Kasane in the Republic of Botswana there grows a baobab tree, the hollow of which was used as a prison. In Namibia there is a baobab tree, in the hollow of which there is a bathhouse. There's even a bathtub. The hollow trunks of baobab trees are used for temporary shelters and storerooms, and in some cases they were specially adapted for water storage tanks.
There are many legends associated with the baobab. It is not surprising, because many animals, insects and birds depend on these amazing trees in Africa. And for a person left alone with nature, the baobab can be a salvation. This is one of the most revered trees in Africa. Nothing in it is wasted. In the mythology of many African peoples, the baobab personifies life, fertility and appears as the guardian of the earth. The inhabitants of the savannas have a custom according to which everyone must plant baobab seeds near their hut.
Local residents have found use for almost any part of the baobab tree. Its bark is used to make a coarse, strong fiber that is used to make fishing nets, ropes, mats and fabrics. Flower dust is used to make glue. Quite effective medicines are obtained from the ash of baobab bark. A tincture of baobab leaves treats fever, kidney disease, asthma, diarrhea, insect bites, and a paste containing powdered grains helps with toothache.
Young leaves are added to salads, dry leaves are used as spices; in Nigeria they are used to make soup. Young shoots are boiled like asparagus. Baobab fruits are pleasant to taste and rich in vitamin C and calcium. The fresh pulp tastes like ginger and is rich in vitamins, and its nutritional value is equal to that of veal. It is quickly absorbed by the body and relieves fatigue. The pulp of the fruit 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 made from roasted and crushed seeds.
The dried hard shell of the fruit is used instead of a glass or vessel. The smoke from burning the dry insides of the fruit drives away mosquitoes and other annoying insects. The ashes of the burnt fruit are used to make soap and, most importantly, oil for frying. East African women wash their hair with powder made from the fruit of the baobab tree, and the red juice contained in its roots is used to paint their faces to give the skin softness and shine. They say that where baobab trees grow, no gardens are planted because the leaves of these trees “replace all vegetables.”
But monkeys especially love the fruits of the baobab, which is why it is also called “monkey breadfruit.” Well, as for the elephants, they literally eat the whole baobab tree - not only the leaves and branches, but also the trunk! Luckily it's soft. In some places, many baobab trees have been knocked down or severely damaged by elephants.
Another giant of the earth's flora grows on the American continent, the famous giant sequoia (mammoth tree), a representative of coniferous trees, the ancestors of which lived on our Earth about 100 million years ago. The thickness of sequoia trunks often reaches more than 20 meters. In one of these giants, growing in America, in Yosemite Park, a tunnel was built back in 1881, through which buses now pass freely.
Among straight-trunked trees, Australian eucalyptus trees are the largest in height; their growth reaches 150 meters or more. Eucalyptus trees produce wood that is as hard as iron and does not rot. Piles and telegraph poles made from eucalyptus trees are the most durable, and masts can withstand any storms. The roots of these trees pump such a huge amount of water from the soil into the leaves that with the help of these green pumps people began to drain the swamps and improve the climate.
source florets.ru
Between October and December for baobab The time of flowering and fruiting is coming. He dresses in green foliage and generally enjoys life. Flowering baobab- an amazing sight! On long stalks hanging from the branches, huge (up to 20 cm in diameter) fragrant white flowers of a bizarre shape appear with many purple stamens, similar to a powder puff.
True, flowers bloom at night, attracting with their aroma nocturnal creatures that pollinate them, including bats. In the morning, the flowers still look attractive, but then they fade, darken, acquire an unpleasant odor, and fall off.
After flowering, bluish-green velvety fruits (20 cm or more in length) develop from the ovary, shaped like large cucumbers or small oblong melons. Under the thick skin they have juicy, mealy, sour pulp with black seeds and a ginger flavor.
The fruits are eaten with pleasure by baboons, for which baobab called monkey breadfruit.
They claim that in the fruits baobab contains twice as much calcium as milk; 6 times more vitamin C than oranges; as well as large amounts of antioxidants, iron and potassium.
In his homeland baobab called the tree of life - because it supports the life of many creatures living in the African savannas. Birds build nests in its branches, bats drink flower nectar, baboons eat fruits, elephants can knock down and eat almost the entire tree.
For its unique ability to absorb moisture, some botanists want to deprive baobab right to be called a tree. A succulent plant - that’s what scientists now propose to call it. Thus, they put it on a par with cacti and aloe.
Who has 3D glasses? For you...
The baobab is the most characteristic tree of the African savannah. It is famous for its 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 shapes from jugs to teapots... Baobab wood is loose and contains a lot of water, which the plant stores for the dry season. The baobab tree can store as much as 120,000 liters of water to withstand severe drought conditions...
An African legend says that the creator planted a baobab tree in the Congo River valley, but the tree began to complain of dampness. Then the creator transplanted it to the slope of the Moon Mountains, but even here the baobab was not happy. Angry at the constant complaints of the tree, God tore it out and threw it onto 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 a container made of 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 the water in which the seeds of this tree were soaked, you will become invulnerable to a crocodile...
No one can say exactly how old the baobab is - it does not have annual rings like other trees. No one doubts that it is a long-liver, and an age of a thousand years is considered quite normal for this plant. Some researchers even say that baobabs live for five thousand years!
There are as many as 8 species of baobabs in the world.
The wide trunk of the baobab at the top splits into many intricately curved branches. Its small leaves do not correspond to the size of the tree. But it turns out that it is precisely these leaves that enable the tree to tolerate drought well. The smaller the leaf size, the smaller the area of evaporation and the greater the opportunity to retain moisture. During the dry season, trees usually shed their leaves. The baobab tree spends 9 months of the year without leaves. In general, the leaves are edible.
Local residents have found use for almost any part of the baobab tree. From its bark a coarse, strong fiber is obtained, which is used to make fishing nets, ropes, mats and fabrics. Young leaves are added to salads, dry leaves 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 a soft drink, slightly similar to “lemonade”, hence another name for the baobab - lemonade tree. Roasted seeds are used as a coffee substitute.
The fruits of baobabs are ovoid, thick-walled, tomentose-pubescent capsules; they contain many small black seeds distributed by animals. The seeds are embedded in white pulp, the sour taste of which 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 quantities of calcium and antioxidants. At the same time, baobab is 6 times higher in vitamin C than oranges, and its calcium content is 2 times higher than in milk.
At the beginning of the wet season, huge flowers (15-20 cm in diameter) bloom. They hang on long stalks like large snow globes with purple stamens. Each baobab flower lives only one night and withers at dawn. Feasting on the pollen and nectar of flowers, bats and lemurs pollinate them. At night, these animals mysteriously rustle the leaves on the tree. No wonder Africans believed that a spirit lives in every baobab flower.
After flowering, small fruits appear, which, growing, become the size of a zucchini.
Until recently, baobab was prohibited from being eaten in Europe, but a couple of years ago permission was received. True, Europeans will become acquainted with the new product only in a processed form. The pulp of baobab fruits is planned to be used in fruit cocktails and nectars, as well as an additive in muesli.
In local medicine, the fruit pulp, juice, leaves and bark were used as remedies against various fevers and dysentery. Medicines similar to quinine are obtained from baobab bark. 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 and inflammatory processes and restores the epidermis in case of burns.
Baobab is a delicacy for elephants. African giants eat them almost entirely, not only the leaves and branches, but also the trunk.
Old baobabs often develop hollows in the trunk. The dimensions of the hollow are sometimes so large that Africans build a garage in it for cars. The hollow trunks of baobab trees are used for temporary shelters and storerooms, and in some cases they were specially adapted for water storage tanks. There are known cases when the hollow (from time to time) trunk of a baobab was used as a prison, a bus stop or a place to sleep. In some countries, enterprising residents set up shops and pubs in this huge African tree.
In the mythology of many African peoples, the baobab personifies life, fertility and appears as the guardian of the earth.
Photo: African Baobab (Adansonia digitata)
Family Bagryannikovye. Name: "Cercis" and Greek "phyllum"; with leaves like Cercis.The most famous representative of the genus is a truly fantastic tree, included in legends, fiction, and often depicted on stamps, paintings, and posters.
Description African Baobab
It is not without reason that it is 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 such a trunk is more than (50 m2), and since the trees are not tall, their grotesque thickness is especially striking. Like other trees of dry African savannas, baobabs develop a powerful root system that supports the plant more or less sufficient moisture. Knobby, large-diameter roots of baobabs often extend over the surface of the soil for tens of meters, occupying a huge space (This “aggressive” feature of the baobab was interestingly symbolically interpreted by Saint-Exupery in “The Little Prince.”)Blooming baobabs more often on leafless branches. Their spherical flower buds, hanging on long stalks, open in the evening or at night; then large white flowers appear with a peculiar, rather pleasant smell that attracts pollinators. The 5-membered calyx and corolla surround the staminate tube, ending in a bundle of numerous stamens, and among them, somewhat to the side, is a gynoecium, significantly longer than them. At night, the flowers are pollinated by bats, and in the morning they wither, acquire an unpleasant odor and fall off.
Baobab fruits- ovoid, thick-walled, tomentosely pubescent capsules; they contain many small black seeds distributed by animals. The seeds are embedded in white pulp, the sour taste of which attracts many animals, especially monkeys, which is why the baobab is also called monkey bread.
Indian botanist K. M. Vaid is inclined to consider the baobab to be the mythical “kalpa-vriksha” tree, so often mentioned in Indian epics 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; the fruits replace fruits; a drink like “lemonade” is also prepared from them, hence another name for the baobab - lemonade tree. Hollow tree trunks are used as temporary shelters and storerooms for storing grain, and in extremely dry areas of Africa they are specially adapted as water storage tanks. Baobabs are deciduous plants and in their leafless state often have the curious appearance of trees, growing with their roots up, with branches spread along the ground. An African legend explains it this way. The Creator planted a baobab in the Congo River valley, but the tree began to complain about the dampness of those places. Then it was transplanted to the slope of the Moon Mountains, but even here the baobab was not happy with its fate. Angry at the constant complaints of the tree, the creator tore it out and threw it onto dry African soil. Since then, the baobab has been growing upside down.
The extremely soft, water-saturated wood of baobabs is susceptible to fungal diseases, which is why the trunks of mature plants are usually hollow. Powerful-looking trees often turn out to be “colossuses with feet of clay,” 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 fiber on the surface of the earth. And yet, 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-living 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 using the method of radioactive carbon (using C14) showed more than 5,500 years for a tree with a diameter of 4.5 m. This is very close to the age determined at 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 the longest-livers of the Earth.