Baobab Tree - Adonsonia digitata

Baobab Tree - Adonsonia digitata

This tree IS Africa!

The Baobab is one of the most iconic African trees, also known at the "Upside-down tree" because of its unusual branch structure. This tree literally looks like it was pulled out of the ground, flipped over and then just shoved back into the soil.

African lore has it that when the world was young, the baobab was the biggest and most beautiful tree in the world and it lorded this over all the other "lesser'' trees. The gods became angry at the baobab, because it was not being dignified with its size and beauty, they uprooted the tree and planted it upside down to ensure that the rest of creation was reminded of what a haughty attitude would bring. The gods also cursed the tree, that if anyone would pick one of its beautifully scented flowers, that now only open at night, a lion would attack them within the month.

The Baobab tree is one of Africa's "tree's of life" and entire ecosystems are centered around these precious trees. The oldest baobab was know as the Panke Baobab and was carbon dated to 2450 years old, this tree unfortunately has died. The next oldest specimens are in South Africa and are dated to around 2000 years old.

It is entirely possible that you could plant a seed of this tree and it will still be alive in the year 4000!

In Afrikaans this tree is known as the kremetart boom, which literally translated means cream of tarter tree and this is what the pulp of the fruit tastes like. The dried powder can be used as a natural food additive and has a high vitamin C content.

The tree has been scientifically proven to increase fertility, this was after another African legend that women who live in Baobab regions (and often consume the leaves of this tree in porridge) have more children than those that live outside of the baobab regions.

Highly frost sensitive, this is a Zone 10 + plant. If you want to grow one of these amazing trees elsewhere it will need to be confined to a pot or grown as a bonzai, both of which this tree is quite happy to do.

Germination: Drop the seed into boiling water and let soak overnight. Plant 1/2" deep in clean river sand. Not a difficult seed to germinate. The use of a seed germination heat mat will greatly assist with speedy emergence.

Approx 10 seeds