Baobab Tree

Saw a photo in the newspaper yesterday which prompted me to do a search on the Baobab tree, usually found in the African Savannah. Here's a photo of it, which I found on the web




It's also known as the upside down tree, the Tree of Life and the Monkey Bread Tree. This tree is leafless for 9 months of the year. Other than providing shelter, this is a tree where nothing is wasted. The bark is used to make baskets, mats, cloth and paper. The flowers last for only 24 hours, and when dropped provide food for animals. The fruits and leaves are also eaten, and the seeds can be made into a coffee like drink.

Apart from wikipedia, this site has a few interesting things about it.

This African legend is one of the few about the Baobab (extracted from The Times):
'When the baobab tree saw the palm tree, it wanted to be taller. When it saw the flame tree, it was envious for blossoms. When it saw the fig tree, it prayed for fruit. So the gods became angry, pulled it up by its roots, then replanted it upside down to keep it quiet.'

Now those of you who live in or near or are going to Penang, might be interested to know that there is or was a baobab tree which has/had been there for over a century at the Macalister Road - Residency Road roundabout. More information about this Penang oldie can be found here. Does anyone know whether this tree is still there?