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Baobabs are truly magical
trees. Adansonia digitata occurs in mainland Africa,
Adansonia gibbosa in Australia and there are six species in
Madagascar as follows.
Adansonia grandidieri, Adansonia
rubrostipa, Adansonia za in the west and the south.
Adansonia
madagascariensis, Adansonia suarezansis, Adansonia perrieri in
the north and north-west.
It is now generally accepted amongst
most botanists that baobabs originated in Madagascar after the the
ancient continent of Gondwana split up nearly 50 million years ago
and India and Madagascar drifted north and east respectively.The
giant seed pods of baobabs are buoyant and it appears that some of
these floated across the oceans to mainland Africa and Australia.
Research on baobab genetics has shown that they evolved 7 to 17
million years ago, long after Madagascar became isolated.
In the
past, baobabs would be used for many purposes. The pulp from the
seeds made a refreshing lemonade, the seed pods were used by
fishermen as floats and the bark was used as roofing material or
wallpaper. The seeds themselves could be roasted like coffee beans.
Nowadays all these things are easily replaceable by items bought in
the local shops that take less time to prepare even if they may cost
more. It seems that the baobabs are being used less and less by the
Malagasy. This places a particular problem on their conservation
as they are "using up" valuable land needed for
farming. The famous Avenue de Baobabs near Morondava is a great
example of Adansonia grandidieri at it's best. The trees were
not planted on purpose to grow as an avenue, they are the remnants of
a far greater baobab forest which existed in the past. Unfortunately
they are not going to last forever either and there is evidence that
the trees are even being removed to the present day. The Avenue is
missing two fully grown trees if you compare photos taken seven or
eight years ago with current photos and there are very few young
trees growing up to replace them.
If you want to learn more
about Baobabs you cannot go far wrong with "The Remarkable
Baobab" by Thomas Pakenham. ISBN 0297 843737Not a botany book in
the strict sense of the word but a book by someone who loves trees.
Click on the link marked photos above left to see our images
of the Avenue de Baobabs. |
