What are Baobab Trees?

About Baobab Trees:

• Baobabs are long-lived deciduous, small to large trees from 20 to 100 ft tall with broad trunks and compact tops.
• The Baobab Tree is also known as the upside-down tree.
• The baobab is a prehistoric species which predates both mankind and the splitting of the continents over 200 million years ago. 
• Distribution:
  • There are 9 species of baobab tree. Two are native to mainland Africa, six to Madagascar, and one to Australia. 
  • Mandu, in the Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh, is perhaps the only place in India where baobab trees are found in abundance, with an estimated 1,000 trees in the periphery of Mandu town.
• Features:
  • Baobab trees can live to become thousands of years old. The oldest baobab tree on record was the Panke baobab in Zimbabwe, which lived to be a venerable 2450 years old
  • They only have very faint growth rings.
  • Mature trees have massive trunks that are bottle-shaped or cylindrical and tapered from bottom to top.
  • The fruit of the tree is round or oval-shaped and is highly nutritious.
• Why are they called the ‘Tree of Life’?
  • They can store large amounts of fresh water in their extraordinary trunks.
  • It also allows the baobab tree to produce nutritious fruits even during the driest years.
  • This makes them true life savers during times when water is scarce.