A story of Nature

Looking like it was planted upside down, the baobab thrives in hot, dry climates where nothing else will grow. Its fruit is the tartar that is used in various toothpaste and creams, while the pods can be used as sponges and its bark can be beaten into mats or clothing.


This versatile tree has another distinct advantage. When disease strikes it, the plant explodes from within to rid itself of the sickness. This leaves it with huge gaping holes in its trunk that look as I an elephant has attacked and scooped out the inside. Though it looks ugly, the baobab is healthy once more. 

Baobab and Experience

The baobab tree is easily recognized by its enormous trunk and scrawny stems and twigs. It is one of the most distinctive symbols of Africa. In Tanzania, visitors can admire baobab trees within all national parks, but particularly in Tarangire National Park, which is unofficially known as the “Baobab Capital of the World.”


Its name comes from the Arabic word bu hibab, which means “fruit with many seeds.”


There are nine types of baobab trees in the world.  Six are in Madagascar, one in Australia, and two on mainland Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. The ones found in Tanzania have the scientific name adansonia digitata and are the largest of all varieties.


Baobabs begin flowering at around 20 years of age. During the southern hemisphere summer, the tree produces very large and heavy white flowers. Their crinkled petals and large clusters of stamen give baobab flowers an exotic appearance. They open during the late afternoon and stay open for one night only, emitting a strong and stinky odor. Flowers attract fruit bats and various insects. The seeds are located in pods, and the resulting fruit is gray and hairy.


The baobab has the only fruit in the world that dries naturally on the branch. It will not drop, but rather stay on the branch and bake in the sun for up to 6 months – transforming its green velvety coating into a hard coconut-like shell. The pulp of the fruit dries out completely. This self-drying fruit simply needs to be harvested, de-seeded, and sieved to create a fine powder used in cooking or as a health supplement.

Baobab and Life

The baobab is often referred to as the “Tree of Life” as it provides life-sustaining shelter, clothing, food, and water for both humans and animals of the African savanna regions.




Every part of the tree is used by humans:

  • The bark is fire resistant and is used for making cloth and rope.
  • The leaves are cooked and eaten as spinach-like vegetables or used as condiments and medicines.
  • The fibrous pulp that comes from the bark is used to make paper, clothing, grain sacks, and fishing line.
  • The sap is used to make glue, rubber, and soap.
  • The baobab fruit is rich in vitamin C (more than an orange or kiwi!) and readily eaten.
  • The sprout of a young tree can be eaten like asparagus.
  • Oil extracted from the seeds is used as a moisturizer.

Baobab and Elephant


In seasonally arid areas, Baobabs can store water in their trunks (up to 4,500 liters / 1,200 US gallons) to endure harsh drought conditions.  This water has two functions – to keep them standing upright and to help them flush new leaves at the beginning of the growing season.


The size of a tree varies, as it can shrink and expand depending on its needs and the amount of water it absorbs. In the dry season, the trunk shrinks; when water is abundant the trunk expands to support more water storage.


Another giant in the bush can cause great damage to baobabs. Because they know that baobabs store water in their trunks during the dry season when water is scarce, elephants look for baobab trees to quench their thirst.


The bark of the baobab is soft enough for an elephant to poke a hole through it. Once this protection is gone, the elephant has access inside to the best part where water is stored.

Baobab and Uses

Large baobab trees with hollow trunks have been used by people for centuries for various purposes, including houses, prisons, pubs, storage barns, and even as a bus stop!


One tree in the Caprivi Strip (part of Namibia located between Botswana, Angola, and Zambia) was converted into a toilet, complete with a flushing system!


A huge old baobab in the former Transvaal region of South Africa is recorded as once being used as a dairy.


Not only do humans make use of the tree, but animals of the savanna regularly use it for shelter, while African honey bees often utilize hollows in the baobab to make their hives.



Ingredients
200ml apple juice
100ml natural yogurt
1 banana, frozen
180g blueberries
10-20g baobab fruit pulp


Combine the yogurt and apple juice in a food blender and stir together. Add banana, baobab pulp, blueberries, and puree until smooth.


Pour into a tall glass and enjoy!