Baobab Tree

Setswana Name:  Mowana
 
Botanical Name: 
Adansonia digitata
 
Family:
Baobab family (Bombacaceae)
 

No tree in Africa embodies the spirit of Africa more than the baobab with its bulbous branches and gnarled bark. Otherwise known as Africa's 'big tree', the baobab is revered in African culture for many different reasons. Undoubtedly this magnificent colossus is the most frequently-discussed botanical phenomenon in Africa and its pre-historic appearance provides for one of the most dramatic landscapes Africa has to offer. Some specimens were possibly around before the birth of Christ, making them the oldest living relics of ancient times.
 
The origin of the name "Baobab" is to be found in the Egyptian name "Bu hobab", given to it by Cairo merchants who traded in exotic products in that city during the 16th century. Dr David Livingstone referred to the Baobab as "that giant upturned carrot", which is an apt description of the tree, as the enormously thick trunk and the comparatively slender branches create that image. It also reminds one of the root-system of a tree, which gave rise to the colloquial term of the "upside-down tree". The average stem diametre of a large Baobab is about 5m, but specimens with a diametre of up to 9m are not uncommon. One of the largest Baobabs in Southern Africa has a circumference of 46,8m.
 
The pinkish-grey bark, the digital leaves, the large pods and the magnificent white flowers are further identifying features. On shallow soil, thick roots radiate from the stem and are sometimes visible above the ground as much as 10m from the tree. Young trees are difficult to recognise as they have simple leaves, instead of digitally compound leaves. This difference has given rise to the Bushman belief that there are no young Baobabs, and that fully developed specimens are flung from paradise. Being top-heavy, they land with their roots in the air. The authenticity of this belief is supported by their claims that thuds of falling Baobabs are clearly audible from time to time.
 

Baobab trees flower for the first time at about 20 years. In mid-summer (Oct to Dec), dozens of luminous white blossoms - the size of saucers - open at sunset and their strong musky odour attracts fruit bats and hosts of insects. Large bats seek out the sweet nectar and collect and distribute pollen as they move from flower to flower. The life of the flower is short lived and it drops to the ground within hours of being serviced. The resultant seeds are housed in a hairy pod which resembles a miniature rugby ball (inside of which is a white pulp from which 'cream of tartar' is derived). Once they fall to the ground, the pods are fed upon by baboons, monkeys, antelope and elephants, which serve to disperse the hard seeds within.
 
The sculptured branches, with their hollow stems, provide shelter and home for a great variety of animals. Squirrels, rodents, lizards, snakes and tree frogs, as well as spiders, scorpions and insects may live out their entire life in a single tree. Holes in the trunk provide ideal nesting sites for birds such as rollers, hornbills, parrots, kestrels and spinetails. Larger cavities are frequently occupied by families of Barn Owls or Ground Hornbills. Eagles, vultures and storks frequently build their large stick nests on the outer branches, and the colonial nests of Red-billed Buffalo-weavers are more often found in Baobabs than any other tree.
 
For centuries, the baobab tree has played an important role in the economy and culture of Africa. Practically every part of the tree is useful. The bark is shredded into strands of fibre for use as rope, baskets, nets, snares and cloth. Tonics and cosmetics are derived from the roots, and spinach and soup from the large palmate leaves. The seeds may be ground into a coffee-substitute or eaten fresh and the white pulp is used as 'cream of tartar' for baking. The hollow trunks of living trees have served as homes, storage barns, places of refuge or worship, and even as prisons or tombs.

The Baines Baobabs are a series of majestic trees found south of the Nxai Pan National Park overlooking the KudiaKam Pan in Botswana. The Baines Baobab is actually a group of 7 giant baobab trees all clustered together – a rather unusual phenomenon for these majestic trees. This cluster is commonly referred to as the ‘sleeping sisters’.
 
Baines Baobabs were named after the famous painter and explorer of the last century Thomas Baines, who painted this unusual group of baobabs in 1862 during his journeys through Botswana. This remarkable cluster of trees, also known as Seven Sisters, has been immortalized by other painters as well, including Prince Charles.
 
The Baines Baobabs have been incorporated into the Nxai Pan National Park to ensure the protection of these trees in the future.