Young trees usually have slender, tapering trunks, often with a swollen base. Learn more about these incredible African trees that bear baobab fruit. Baobab oil is an excellent skin moisturiser leaving the skin moist and hydrated. It is used by either rubbing it on your skin or adding it to your bathwater. Julian holds a bachelor's degree in biology from Texas State University. Then the beautiful flame tree appeared with its red flower and the baobab was envious for flower blossoms. A real thirst for knowledge! Fruits are rich in calcium and slightly acidic. (6) Another way in which the Baobab trees have adapted to this dry season is by only producing small, finger-like leaves wet season. This unique adaptation helps the baobab to reproduce effectively by attracting its main pollinator, the fruit bat. This allows the tree to absorb as much water as possible in times of rain and store it for use during times of scarcity or drought. They can grow to between 5–25 m (16–82 ft) in height. It's a source of many legends among the tribes of the area, and is also a rich source of traditional medicine. Mature trees are usually hollow, providing living space for many animals and humans. All baobab trees are deciduous, losing their leaves in the dry season, and remain leafless for eight months of the year. Copyright 2020 Leaf Group Ltd. / Leaf Group Media, All Rights Reserved. All of these creatures help to spread the pollen of the baobab from tree to tree, allowing it to spread quickly throughout the African savannah. More Magnesiu… Its stems form “u” like funnels, allowing water to channel into holding canals so the plant has time to soak it all in over the course of a day. It can grow to enormous sizes, and carbon dating indicates that they may live to be 3,000 years old. Besides it height and girth, the baobab is also distinct due to its shiny and slick outer bark. General Adaptations The African savannah is a very dry area with 4-10 dry months every year. The single Australian baobab species, A. gregorii, called boab, or bottle tree, is found throughout the Kimberley region of Western Australia. 2. They are recognizable by their distinctive swollen stems. Adaptations: To survive dry conditions, the Baobab Tree stores water in between the meat and bark of the tree. The Baobab tree is a strange looking tree that grows in low-lying areas in Africa and Australia. Flies, ants and moths also find the carrion-like smell of the baobab attractive. There are also species, or types, of baobab trees in India , Sri Lanka , and Australia . Baobab trees have two types of shoots – long, green vegetative ones, and stout, woody reproductive ones. Other creatures that find the carrion-like smell of the baobab attractive are flies, moths and ants. The trunk tends to be bottle-shaped and can … Others say that the oldest baobab tree is around 3,000 years old. Adansonia digitata is the most common species of African Baobab and is found in 31 African countries. The bark of the baobab is more porous than regular wood, making it able to absorb moisture like a sponge. She has a background in biology and a passion for traveling. Their distinctive silhouettes loom over the acacia scrubland, with Medusa-like branches spreading chaotically above a bulbous body. When leaves do grow, they are in tiny finger-like clusters. There are nine species of baobab: six in Madagascar, one in Australia. The Big Baobab Bar in South Africa, the world’s only pub situated inside a tree, was constructed by the Dutch owners of the Sunland Baobab Estate back in 1933. It is also believed that the reflective nature of the bark may aid in protecting the tree from the effects of wildfires. Baobab is a type of deciduous tree that belongs to the mallow family. This unique adaptation helps the baobab to reproduce effectively by attracting its main pollinator, the fruit bat. Besides it height and girth, the baobab is also distinct due to its shiny and slick outer bark. A native of Austin, Texas, Andrea Julian began freelance writing in 2008 while living abroad in Guatemala. Another adaptation that enables the baobab tree to survive the long months of drought is its ability to store water in its large trunk. The baobab tree blooms pretty white flowers. The baobab is a tree with a thick trunk. This allows the tree to absorb as much water as possible in times of rain and store it for use during times of scarcity or drought. It is immediately recognized by its enormous trunk and, by scrawny stems and twigs. The Dry season starts in the Kimberley in April and as we were there in June the boabs were in various stages of shedding their leaves, some were completely bare while others still had a handsome canopy which provided a lovely dense shade. The tree can store hundreds of liters of water, which is an adaptation to the harsh drought conditions of its environment. Another adaptation that the baobab tree has developed to help it conserve water is a spongy bark. A mature baobab tree can sustain its own ecosystem, with a variety of creatures relying … They are in fact known both for their height and trunk's girth. When leaves do grow, they are in tiny finger-like clusters. The baobab tree has adapted excellently to survive their harsh habitat. Other creatures that find the carrion-like smell of the baobab attractive are flies, moths and ants. However, get too close and you are in for a surprise -- the flowers of the baobab emit a stinky smell, a smell that resembles rotting meat. It is readily recognised by its enormous trunk and, by comparison, scrawny stems and twigs. Reaching heights of about 12 metres (39 feet), the tree features the characteristically swollen trunk of the genus and bears compound leaves that are completely shed during drought periods. Adansonia gregorii is generally the smallest of the baobabs, rarely getting to … Through this adaptation, the baobab can reflect light and heat, keeping it cool under the savannah’s unforgiving sun. - One physical adaptation that the baobab tree has is, that it produces stinky flowers to attract fruit bats. What is baobab and the baobab tree, Adansonia Digitata? There are 9 species of baobab that are native to Madagascar, Africa, Arabian Peninsula and Australia. However, get too close and you are in for a surprise -- the flowers of the baobab emit a stinky smell, a smell that resembles rotting meat. The baobab tree is known as the tree of life, with good reason. This beautiful tree grows in dry areas, on hard, well-drained soil. In a land where rainfall is limited and it is rare to find even tiny bushes, the gigantic baobab tree thrives. Copyright 2020 Leaf Group Ltd. / Leaf Group Media, All Rights Reserved. The bark of a Baobab tree can store up to 120,000 litres of water to help it survive. The baobab tree has adapted excellently to survive their harsh habitat. The cool interiors of the tree keep the beers cold, naturally. Besides it height and girth, the baobab is also distinct due to its shiny and slick outer bark. It can grow to enormous sizes and carbon dating indicates that they may live to be 3,000 years old. , all Rights Reserved in concentric rings “ tree of the baobab is more porous than regular wood, it! Helps limit water loss status and role in the wild is rare to find even tiny bushes, fruit... ’ t lost due to a number of unique Adaptations that it wanted to be taller:. In tiny finger-like clusters very nutritious and contains a lot of vitamin C and a as well, especially water. 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