Baobab - Adansonia digitata
Exist in the dry savannah of Africa and can become 3000 years old, 25 meters high and with a diameter of up to 14 meters (14 METERS!).
The trunk consist of a lot of water so it looks 'swollen' in order to survive dry seasons.
It referred as the 'upside down tree' - especially if it looses its leaves in the dry season - because it looks like roots that are in the air instead of underground.
One myth is that the devil plucked a tree and pressed it down the soil upside down - causing the roots to face 'upwards'.
Some people believe if you pick a flower from a baobab tree you will be eaten by a lion. But if you drink water where baobab seeds have been soaked in, you will be safe from a crocodile attack.
Each flower blooms on the tree blooms for one night during flowering season - usually at the start of a rainy season. The baobab relies on fruit bats or galago primates to pollinate. They drink the sweet nectar of the flower, and while feeding, they get pollen on their fur. When they move to another flower, they transfer the pollen, helping the tree reproduce.
It's fruit is eaten by different animals such as baboons, black rhinos and elephants. In danish the tree is called "abebrødstræ" which directly translates to "monkey-bread-tree". The fruit tastes sharp and tangy and is added in many sauces and drinks. Rich in Vitamin C & B2.
When they die, they rot inside and suddenly collapse. Researchers state that elderly baobab trees have begun collapsing, and claims its due to global warming and that the reason is not due to the dry seasons since the tree is built to handle extreme dryness.
Comparison to Ombu tree which also have a this 'swollen' effect. Ombu is technically not a tree so i wanted to see if it applied to Baobab - it does not. Baobab is a true tree.
Science Museerne - Aarhus Universitet. Baobab. https://sciencemuseerne.dk/botanisk-have/plantehistorier/vis/artikel/baobab
Eden Project. Baobab. https://www.edenproject.com/visit/things-to-do/rainforest-biome/baobab
