The oldest baobab in the world. Baobab - description and photo of a giant long-lived tree. The oldest tree in the world

18.10.2019

Botanical description
living conditions
Origin legends
Places of distribution
Application
Interesting Facts

Adansonia (lat. Adansonia), or baobab - a genus tropical trees from the Malvaceae family. Lives in hot savannas. The exotic plant has about ten species distributed on the territory of the African mainland and the island of Madagascar.

Botanical description

Baobab is not like ordinary tree, resembles a giant carrot sticking out of the ground with a bunch of tops or a small tower. In height, plants rarely reach 17–18 m, but the width of the trunks of individual specimens is up to 8–10 m. Closer to the top, the trees become thinner, but not by much.. The root system is branched. The roots spread widely to the sides of the trunks, finding and absorbing the slightest drops of moisture. These trees do not create thickets, prefer to grow singly.

Lateral shoots of baobabs are located almost at the crown, their entire length is bare trunks are covered with thick brownish-brown bark. Its upper part is quite soft, the lower part is harder, hides under itself a large number of moisture. The branches are few, thickened, clumsy, form a torn shapeless crown. The leaves are brown-green, with a smooth surface, simple or palmate, five- or seven-lobed, about 10 cm long and 5 cm wide.

Baobabs bloom from October to December. White five-fingered corollas with long red stamens usually bloom on branches devoid of leaves. Buds grow up to 20 cm in diameter, hanging on short pedicels. Each flower lives no more than a day. In the evening, it emits a spicy aroma that attracts nearby insects and bats. By morning, the petals of the inflorescences are closed, an unpleasant putrefactive odor appears. After a few more hours, the bud completely withers, breaks off, falls to the ground. In its place remains the ovary. After a few weeks, fleshy fruits ripen, similar to swollen cucumbers or small melons. Under the light green fleecy thick shell, a mealy pulp is hidden, which has a sour taste, containing many small dark seeds.

The wood is soft, saturated with moisture, has no growth rings.

living conditions

Adansonia refers tosucculentswho can concentrate water in their fleshy tissues. Habitat conditions predispose to the survival of such species. Hot weather with long dry seasons, poor soils are detrimental to broad-leaved species with dense crowns, large quantity greenery. Baobabs during the drought period decrease in size, the trunks are noticeably blown away, the leaves fall off. The plant begins to economically spend the accumulated moisture. With the onset of the rainy season, the trees fill with water again, swell.

The vitality of baobabs is surprising. They do not die after the removal of most of the bark from the trunks, they grow from a small area of the root preserved after cutting down. Soft watery wood in hot conditions is easily affected by fungus. But even with severe destruction, rotting of the array, the formation of large voids, the tree continues to grow and bear fruit. The lifespan of adansonia is about 1000 years. Baobabs grow slowly. Annually they rise by 5-10 cm, are distributed in breadth up to 40 cm.

Origin legends

Residents of the areas where the baobab lives tell ancient legend explaining the origin and strange appearance tree. God, creating the earth and all life on it, settled this plant in the most fertile and picturesque place near great river Congo. But the tree turned out to be capricious and did not want to stay there. He was disturbed by the sound of water, dampness. mountain valley from behind strong winds also did not like the baobab. For a long time God tried to please the tree by choosing different places. In the end, he got angry, uprooted the baobab and stuck it up by its roots in the most uninhabitable dry savannah. The plant had to get used to the new conditions, learn to absorb rare precipitation, come to terms with a curious appearance.

Another legend says that the baobab used to grow in heaven, reaching gigantic proportions. Once he was thrown from there to the ground, because the Creator decided to stop the development of the giant. The branches stuck into the soil, and the roots remained sticking up.

Places of distribution

Adansonia Gregory (lat. Adansonia gregorii) lives in the northwestern territories of Australia, in places where the climate is similar to the savannas of Africa.

Some species are distributed in the northern and western parts of Madagascar and throughout the area. African savannas: from Sudan to the southern tropical latitudes, from Mauritania to the east coast.

In Madagascar, the natives consider the baobab sacred tree . They believe that in every locality there must be at least one amulet protecting the well-being of the inhabitants. Adansonia also serves as a source of food, water for people and animals. African elephants They love to eat whole trees. Monkeys eat the pulp of the fruit. Because of this, baobabs got another name - monkey breadfruit.

Application

All parts of the tree contain a lot of moisture. Leaves, fruit pulp, bark are suitable for human consumption.

Bark

Seasoning for national dishes is made from the soft part of the tree bark. Ash is used in traditional medicine as an antiseptic, analgesic and anti-inflammatory agent in colds, intestinal disorders, bites poisonous insects and reptiles.

Bast fibers are used to weave baskets, mats, fishing nets, make ropes, threads. In Europe, paper is produced from this part of the bark.

Leaves and shoots

Greens and young branches of adansonia are eaten not only by animals. In some national cuisines it is a very popular ingredient. fresh leaves used in salads, soups, they are baked, boiled and stewed. Twigs are marinated, added to various dishes. Tinctures are prepared from dried leaves and shoots, used to treat inflammatory diseases.

Flower pollen from trees is used as a raw material for making soap and glue.

Fruits and seeds

The pulp of the baobab fruit is light cream in color, resembles a pumpkin in texture, and emits a ginger-like aroma. It is edible, contains vegetable proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins and many useful mineral compounds. It contains much more ascorbic acid and B vitamins than other fruits and vegetables. Eat both raw and dried fruits. The pulp is also dried, ground into powder, used to make a drink similar to ginger lemonade.

Raw seeds gnaw like a sunflower. Dried - finely ground, prepare a coffee drink from them.

It is believed that the fruits of baobabs perfectly relieve fatigue, prevent many diseases, saturate the body no worse than meat and bread.

Even the hard shell of the fruit comes into play. The halves of the shell are used as bowls for storing small items, set on fire and driven away by the smoke of tropical midges. Ashes are used to make hair preparations.

Wood

In industry, baobab wood is practically not used. It does not have properties building materials. Powerful trunks - a source of moisture. Loose fibers after drying go to the manufacture of ropes. Baobab roots contain a red pigment, and the sap is sometimes used as a natural dye.

The baobab is depicted on state emblems some African republics.
Adansonia baobab was named after the biologist Michel Adanson, who described the monstrous thickness of the tree. The circumference was about 55 m, and the age was more than 5000 years.
Baobab bark is fireproof. If the trees still burn, then they continue to grow.
Even fallen trees do not die. If the roots survived, then new branches and leaves grow on them. Baobabs are able to live in a horizontal position.
Inside the soft watery trunks, due to fungus damage, huge hollows often form, more like caves. Residents use them as sheds, bathhouses, warehouses, houses and even prisons. Trees turned into various premises do not cease to live, continue to bloom, bear fruit.
The root system penetrates great depth, fills all adjacent space on the surface. Despite the fact that the crowns of baobabs do not give any shade, nothing grows under them. Not even small shrubs and grass. Root shoots take away all the nutrients, displace other flora.
Baobabs that have outlived their time do not dry out, but gradually crumble and turn into a bunch of individual fibers. solid mineral deposits their wood does not, so when age changes in the bark occur, and moisture leaves the trunks, nothing holds their skeleton. Decay occurs over several decades.

Baobab is unique in everything: in size, proportions, life expectancy. Even its excellent survival will be envied by any plant. Baobab is an amazing tree. He is the most prominent representative amazingly long living in the arid tropics of the African savannas.

largest baobab tree

Reaching a good ten meters in the girth of the trunk, the baobab cannot boast of a special 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 got into the famous Guinness book, reaching almost 55 meters in trunk girth, other specimens exceeded the 150-meter height limit. And there are legends about the life expectancy of this giant: it is officially recognized that a tree lives from 1000 to 6000 years. The trunk at the top abruptly breaks off, 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 leaves it resembles a baobab turned upside down by its roots. The tree, the photo of which is presented, confirms the funny appearance. But it is quite explainable by the conditions of growth on dry African lands. A thick trunk is an accumulator of nutrients and water reserves that the baobab needs. The tree has a second name - Adansonia palmate. This "name" combines characteristic appearance 5-7-toed leaves with the perpetuation of the name of the French biologist Michel Adanson.

The legend of the capricious baobab

It is the associations that come to mind with a tree whose roots are at the top instead of a crown, most likely, that served as fertile ground for the birth of the legend about the origin of the baobab. They say that during the creation of the world, the Creator planted a tree in a full-flowing valley, but the plant did not like the coolness and dampness of this place. The Creator heeded his requests and transferred him to the mountain slopes, but the baobab did not like the winds that are born in the gorges and blow around the rocks. And then, tired of the endless whims of the tree, God tore it out of the ground and, turning it over, stuck it upside down in an arid valley. Until now, during the period of leaf shedding, with all its appearance, it reminds of the wrath of the gods of the baobab - a tree that is not at all capricious, on the contrary, has learned to survive and protect all life around.

The incredible vitality of the tree is amazing: it quickly regenerates damaged bark, grows and bears fruit with or without a completely decomposed core. People often use the hollow trunks of the baobab 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 a fairly soft core of the tree, which is vulnerable, however, to fungal infections. The cavities inside the tree, cleaned from the core, have sufficient areas for arranging indoors for various purposes. For example, in Kenya, a baobab grows, which serves as a temporary refuge for wanderers, and in Zimbabwe there is a baobab bus station that can accommodate up to 40 people at a time. In Limpopo, a 6000-year-old giant has opened a baobab bar, which is incredibly popular and is a local landmark.

Tree for all occasions

A universal plant is unique in all manifestations. Baobab flowers with a pleasant smell of musk bloom in the evening, pollination occurs at night, and in the morning they
fall off. Baobab fruits, resembling thick zucchini in shape, hanging on long stalks, are very tasty, differ high content vitamins and minerals, and nutritionally can be equated to veal. Outside, they are covered with a fleecy peel. The local population appreciates them for their pleasant taste, quick absorption by the body and the ability to relieve fatigue. The seeds of the fruit are roasted, ground and used to make a quality coffee substitute. Dried inner part the fruit is able to 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. Leaves of a tree - a storehouse useful substances. Soups are cooked from them, salads and cold snacks are made. Shoots have a great taste of young asparagus. Baobab is a tree whose pollen is an excellent basis for making glue. Porous bark and soft wood are used to make paper, coarse fabric, and twine, reminiscent of Russian hemp.

Medicinal properties of baobab

Ash from incineration is not only a universal fertilizer, but also the main component for the production of very effective drugs from viral colds, feverish conditions, dysentery, diseases of the heart and blood vessels, toothache, asthma, insect bites. The tincture prepared from the leaves of the baobab relieves the condition in diseases of the kidneys.

Among the wonderful representatives of the African flora, the baobab occupies a leading position. The tree, the photo of which can be seen in the article, is an invaluable gift of nature.

THE BIGGEST SHORE DIAMETER IS IN THE BAOBAB

African Baobab (Adansonia digitata) - the most famous representative sort of - really fantasy tree, included in the legends, fiction, often depicted on stamps, paintings, posters. It is not without reason considered the eighth wonder of the world.

The unusually thick trunks of baobabs can reach a diameter of more than 10 m (the cross-sectional area of such a trunk is more than 70 square meters), and, since the trees are low, their grotesque thickness is especially striking. Like other trees of the dry African savannas, baobabs develop a powerful root system that provides the plant with more or less sufficient moisture. Knotty, large-diameter baobab roots often extend over the soil surface for tens of meters, occupying a huge space. This "captivating" feature of the baobab was symbolically interpreted by Saint-Exupery in The Little Prince.

Baobabs bloom more often on leafless branches. Their spherical flower buds, hanging on long pedicels, open in the evening or at night; then large (up to 20 cm) white flowers appear with a peculiar, rather pleasant smell that attracts pollinators. The 5-membered calyx and corolla surround the stamen tube, which ends in a bundle of numerous stamens, and among them, somewhat laterally, is the gynoecium, which is much longer than them. At night, the flowers are pollinated by bats, and in the morning they already wither, acquire bad smell and fall off.

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.

The Indian botanist K. M. Waid is inclined to consider the baobab as the mythical tree "kalpa-vriksha", often mentioned in the Indian epic 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; fruits replace fruits, they are also used to make a drink like lemonade, hence another name for the baobab - lemonade tree. Hollow tree trunks are used as temporary dwellings and pantries for storing grain, and in the extremely arid regions of Africa they are specially adapted for water storage tanks.

Baobabs are deciduous plants and, in their leafless state, often have the curious appearance of trees growing up roots, with branches spread over the ground. An African legend explains it this way. The Creator planted a baobab in the valley of the Congo River, but the tree began to complain about the dampness of those places. Then he was transplanted to the slope of the Lunar Mountains, but even here the baobab was not satisfied with his fate. Angry at the constant complaints of the tree, the Creator pulled it out and threw it on dry African soil. Since then, the baobab has been growing upside down. The extremely soft, supersaturated wood of baobabs is prone to fungal diseases, which is why the trunks of adult plants are usually hollow. Powerful-looking trees often turn out to be "colossi on clay feet", 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 fibers on the surface of the earth.

Nevertheless, 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 (forming complex substances from simpler ones). It is not surprising, therefore, that a tree with such seemingly fragile wood is one of the longest-lived plants on Earth. A. Humboldt called them the oldest organic monument of our planet, and the age calculations carried out in our time by the method of radiocarbon analysis (according to (C 14) African baobab showed more than 5500 years for a tree with a diameter of 4.5 m. This is very close to the age determined 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 long-lived on the Earth.

From the book 100 Great Wonders of the World author Ionina Nadezhda

82. The oldest, largest, youngest (Temples of Thailand) The capital of the Kingdom of Thailand is Bangkok, but this name is used mainly by foreigners. Officially, the city is called differently, namely:

From the book 100 great records of the elements author

The biggest magnet Magnetic storms are usually not considered a formidable natural phenomenon, such as earthquakes, tsunamis, typhoons. True, they disrupt radio communications in the high latitudes of the planet, make the compass needles dance. Now these hindrances are no longer terrible. All long distance communication

From book latest book facts. Volume 1 [Astronomy and astrophysics. Geography and other earth sciences. Biology and Medicine] author

What is the diameter of the largest lunar crater? The predominant type of formations on the lunar surface are meteorite craters of the most different sizes: from hundreds of kilometers to several tens of centimeters in diameter. The largest of them, Bayi Crater, has

From the book The Newest Book of Facts. Volume 3 [Physics, chemistry and technology. History and archeology. Miscellaneous] author Kondrashov Anatoly Pavlovich

What are the dimensions of the largest and smallest pencils in the world? In 2003, the German stationery firm Faber-Castell produced the smallest pencil in the world in a run of 50 copies. The length of the pencil is 17.5 mm, the diameter is 3 mm, and the thickness of the lead

From the book Crossword Guide author Kolosova Svetlana

The largest waiting room 5 "Beijing" - Beijing, China.

From the book All About Everything. Volume 3 the author Likum Arkady

Biggest Theater 5 Beijing, China

author Agalakova Zhanna Leonidovna

The largest cinema complex 9 "Kinepolis" - Belgium, Brussels: 26

From the book Everything I Know About Paris author Agalakova Zhanna Leonidovna

The largest tracked tractor 6 "Marion" - for transporting Saturn V rockets, USA, state

From the book The Newest Book of Facts. Volume 1. Astronomy and astrophysics. Geography and other earth sciences. Biology and medicine author Kondrashov Anatoly Pavlovich

The largest helicopter 2 "Mi-12" - Russia.

From the book 100 Great Records of the Elements [with illustrations] author Nepomniachtchi Nikolai Nikolaevich

The largest crematorium 6 Nikolo- (13) Arkhangelsk - Russia,

From the book I know the world. Insects the author Lyakhov Petr

What is the biggest whale? Most big whale At the same time, it is also the largest animal in the world. This is a blue whale - its length can exceed 30 meters, and its weight reaches 125 tons. It can be found in all seas, but most often it comes across in pacific ocean. It refers to

From the author's book

The largest organ It is in the cathedral Notre Dame of Paris: 109 registers, almost 7800 pipes. It has been modernized more than once, and now it has a fiber optic cable in its belly, and the control is completely computerized. The organ sounds during all services, and on Sundays at

From the author's book

The largest beetle The name of the biblical giant Goliath is given to a beetle from the group of bronzes, which lives only in Upper Guinea and reaches a length of up to 10 centimeters. It really is a giant. Some specimens weigh over 100 grams. To catch these beetles, scientists

Most tall trees in the world, with rich history that have existed on earth for thousands of years. If you happened to see at least one of them in your life, we envy you with white envy. Trees are a special creation of nature and we hope that people will learn to take care of the gift that allows us to breathe clean and useful air and stop the pointless logging.

In the selection below, the most ancient of the giants

1. Sequoia, growing in one of the national parks of California - the tallest tree in the world, its height is 115.61 meters

2. Jomon Sugi is the oldest tree in Japan. According to various estimates, it is from 2000 to 7000 years old.

3. The Thule tree is said to be the thickest on the planet.

4. Methuselah is one of the oldest trees on Earth, it is 4846 years old.

Trees, the existence of which is hard to believe - an exciting video!

5. Baobab Sunland, inside which is equipped with a functioning pub. According to the results of carbon analysis, the age of this huge tree is about 6000 years.

6. The giant tree of Kanchanaburi, it takes about 10 people to clasp it

7. The tallest trees in the world - this baobab in Senegal is 6,000 years old

Baobab is one of the most interesting trees growing on our planet in Africa and Australia.

Oh, very thick, up to 10-15 meters in diameter, up to 25 meters high, maybe even higher. There are, of course, other giants among ...

It is impossible to accurately determine the age of the baobab - the tree does not have annual rings, but "offhand" the lifetime of the oldest specimens is calculated by scientists as 1000-6000 years.

The branches of a tree with discarded foliage look like roots, in explanation of which the locals have a legend:

“God first planted the baobab in the river valley. The tree did not like it - it was too damp. It was not happy with the slopes of the mountains either - it was too dry. Then God got angry and threw the capricious ward with all his strength - so the baobab remained upright with its roots.

Baobab blooms with beautiful white fragrant flowers (by the way, they pollinate the tree the bats!), Which then turn into fruits that look like large cucumbers.

Quite edible and tasty, just like the seeds. In general, a multifunctional tree - baobab . Interesting facts about him are in the short list below.

Almost all baobab is edible: people and animals eat everything - foliage, bark, fruits, seeds, elephants, so even baobab wood is eaten.

The tree recovers easily after removing the bark and, like a person, can lose weight (during the dry season) and gain weight (during the rainy season).
During the rainy season, the baobab can store hundreds and thousands of liters of water.

Thanks to its size local residents baobabs are used as pantries, dwellings, bus stations, temples, public toilets, bars and even like a prison.

Because of the water-soaked wood, the tree does not burn in the fire and during fires it saves small animals in itself.

This is such an excellent and necessary baobab tree for everyone. Interesting Facts, interesting photos baobab, interesting video We invite you to read and view.