The African baobab is a deciduous tree from the mallow family. A distinctive feature is the short thick trunk and the misshapen branches that resemble roots. The root system reaches up to two meters deep, but it spreads horizontally further than the tree height. The baobab grows very slowly and is not considered mature until it is about 200 years old - when it takes on a bottle shape - after which it only grows in width and can live 800-1000 years.
During the rainy season, the baobab tree stores up to 140,000 liters of water in its fibrous bark as a supply for the dry season. Baobabs are true survivors and can survive for years without water. In the animal kingdom in Africa, many animals also depend on this tree. Elephants break off pieces of the bark and chew on it to obtain liquid during the dry season. This creates large cavities in the tree, which in turn become shelters for other animals.
The baobab's pulp and seeds are rich in protein, oil and many minerals, making them an important source of food for many animals.
Unfortunately, these trees are often cut down in Africa for firewood, which becomes a real problem given the slow growth of this tree and its versatility.
