Where baobab and sequoia grow. Baobab - description and photo of a giant long-lived tree. The oldest tree in the world

Baobab is unique in everything: in size, proportions, life expectancy. Even its excellent survival rate will be the envy of any plant. Baobab is an amazing tree. He is the most a prominent representative living for an amazingly long time in the arid tropics of African savannas.

The largest baobab tree

Reaching a good ten meters in girth of the trunk, the baobab cannot boast of any particular height: 18-25 meters is its usual height. Although there are individual representatives of this species that have broken all records: in 1991, one baobab was included in the famous Guinness Book, reaching almost 55 meters in trunk girth, other specimens exceeded the 150-meter height limit. And there are even legends about the lifespan of this giant: it is officially recognized that the tree lives from 1000 to 6000 years. The trunk ends abruptly at the top, spreading thick branches to the sides and forming a crown up to 40 meters in diameter. This is a deciduous plant and during the period of shedding its leaves it resembles a baobab tree turned upside down. The tree, the photo of which is presented, confirms its funny appearance. But it can be fully explained by the growing conditions on dry African lands. The thick trunk is an accumulator of nutrients and water reserves that the baobab needs. The tree has a second name - Adansonia palmata. This “name” combines the characteristic appearance of 5-7-fingered leaves with the perpetuation of the name of the French biological researcher Michel Adanson.

The Legend of the Capricious Baobab

It was the associations that came to mind with a tree whose roots are located at the top instead of the crown, most likely, that served as fertile ground for the birth of the legend about the origin of the baobab. They say that when the world was created, the Creator planted a tree in a deep valley, but the plant did not like the coolness and dampness of this place. The Creator heeded his requests and moved him to the mountain slopes, but the baobab did not like the winds generated in the gorges and blowing over the rocks. And then, tired of the endless whims of the tree, God tore it out of the ground and, turning it over, stuck its roots up in an arid valley. Until now, during the period of shedding its leaves, the baobab tree, with its entire appearance, reminds of the wrath of the gods - a tree that is not at all capricious, on the contrary, it has learned to survive and protect all living things around.

The incredible vitality of the tree is amazing: it quickly regenerates damaged bark, grows and bears fruit with a completely decomposed core or in its absence. People often use the hollow trunks of baobab trees for their needs. It is not uncommon to use baobab trunks for grain storage or as water reservoirs. They are adapted for housing by cutting out windows and this is facilitated by the rather soft core of the tree, which is vulnerable, however, to fungal infections. The cavities inside the tree, cleared of the core, have sufficient areas for arranging indoor spaces for various purposes. For example, in Kenya, a baobab grows, serving as a temporary shelter for wanderers, and in Zimbabwe there is a baobab bus station that can accommodate up to 40 people at a time. In Limpopo, a 6,000-year-old giant opened a baobab bar, which is incredibly popular and is a local landmark.

A tree for all occasions

The universal plant is unique in all its manifestations. Baobab flowers with a pleasant musky scent bloom in the evening, pollination occurs at night, and in the morning they
fall off. Baobab fruits, shaped like thick zucchini hanging on long stalks, are very tasty, high in vitamins and minerals, and can be equivalent in nutritional value to veal. On the outside they are covered with a fleecy skin. The local population appreciates them for their pleasant taste, rapid absorption by the body and ability to relieve fatigue. The seeds of the fruit are roasted, crushed and used to prepare a high-quality coffee substitute. The dried inner part of the fruit can smolder for a long time, driving away blood-sucking insects, and the ash is used to make oil (surprisingly!) for frying, as well as soap. Tree leaves are a treasure trove useful substances. They are used to make soups, salads and cold appetizers. The shoots of young asparagus have an excellent taste. Baobab - tree, pollen which is an excellent base for making glue. Paper, coarse fabric, and twine, reminiscent of Russian hemp, are made from porous bark and soft wood.

Medicinal properties of baobab

Ash from combustion is not only a universal fertilizer, but also the main component for the production of very effective medicines for viral colds, fevers, dysentery, heart and vascular diseases, toothache, asthma, and insect bites. A tincture prepared from baobab leaves relieves kidney disease.

Among the wonderful representatives of African flora, the baobab occupies a leading position. The tree, a photo of which can be seen in the article, is an invaluable gift of nature.

The most tall trees in the world, with rich history, which have existed on earth for thousands of years. If you happen to see at least one of them in your life, we envy you with white envy. Trees are a special creation of nature and we hope that people will learn to take care of the gift that allows us to breathe clean and healthy air, and stop senseless cutting down.

In the selection below are the most ancient of the giants

1. Sequoia growing in one of the national parks of California is the tallest tree in the world, its height is 115.61 meters

2. Jomon Sugi is the oldest tree in Japan. According to various estimates, it is from 2000 to 7000 years old

3. The Thule tree is considered the thickest on the planet

4. Methuselah is one of the oldest trees on Earth, he is 4846 years old.

Trees whose existence is hard to believe - exciting video!

5. Baobab Sunland, inside of which there is a working pub. According to the results of carbon analysis, the age of this huge tree is about 6000 years.

6. The Giant Tree of Kanchanaburi, It Takes About 10 People to Grab It

7. The tallest trees in the world - this baobab in Senegal is 6000 years old

The regions where baobabs grow can be called a real “wonder of the world.” Wood of this plant has an extremely soft and porous structure, which, after infection with fungus, gradually collapses, forming huge voids. However, this does not particularly affect the viability of the tree; even if it is completely hollow inside, it can survive for several more decades. The natives of Africa have adapted to use this feature for practical purposes (for storing food and even arranging homes).

Where do baobabs grow?

In Africa, these giants grow only in arid tropical regions. As a rule, the immediate area is covered with grass, sparse bushes and trees, which are able to survive in conditions of a long hot period followed by the rainy season.

Baobab acclimatization has interesting story. A tree, like a sponge, absorbs nutrients along with moisture, which is retained thanks to the wide trunk. Its diameter often reaches ten meters or more. It is worth noting that the widest sample from the family in question had a width of 54.5 meters and was listed in the Guinness Book of Records.

Peculiarities

Regardless of the area where baobabs grow, they are small in height compared to their width. This figure ranges from 17 to 25 meters. This configuration allows the tree to survive the burning rays of the sun.

At the same time, water in the plant is retained without evaporating using the bark, the thickness of which is about 100 millimeters. The rhizome plays a significant role in maintaining the desired microclimate; it spreads in several elements over tens of meters, collecting available moisture. It is noteworthy that in dry seasons, with excessive consumption of its own water reserves, the baobab tree slightly decreases in size, and after the rainy season it returns to its normal state.

Plant life

Where baobabs grow, interesting transformations are observed. During the dry season, the tree sheds its leaves and becomes like a plant with its roots sticking up. Among local population There is a popular belief that the baobab tree was punished by God for not wanting to live where it was intended.

After shedding its leaves, the tree begins to bloom (October-November). Round buds appear on the branches. At night they bloom, turning into large flowers(about 200 mm). The shoots are curved petals white with dark red stamens in the form of balls. The life span of a flower is only one night. For that a short time it manages to attract with its aroma bats and fruit bats. As they die, the remains of the shoots wither and emit bad smell and fall off.

Soon oval or round fruits appear, having a thick skin with hairs, containing sourish edible pulp. Baboons really like this filling, which is why Africans sometimes call the plant “breadfruit for monkeys.”

Vitality

We discussed above in what zone and where baobab grows. Below is some interesting data about this unique plant. The tree is distinguished by its survivability; although it has many internal holes, although it settles, gradually turning into a pile of fiber, it lives for several more tens, or even hundreds of years.

The bark of this plant has no less amazing properties. If it is completely torn off, the tree does not die, since the bark quickly grows back. Even after being cut down or damaged by elephants, remaining with one root, the plant will try to continue its growth, albeit in a lying position.

Scientists have not been able to establish the exact period of life of the baobab; all hypotheses tend to believe that the plant lives for at least a thousand years. It is worth noting that this tree has no rings, and its exact age can only be determined using radiocarbon dating.

Application

On the mainland where the baobab grows, its purpose does not end as food for baboons and elephants. The inner part of the tree is used by local residents as warehouses. Other parts of the plant are also used:

• Bark is used to make fibers, which are then used to make belts, bags, sacks, and nets. From the ash, medicinal tinctures are obtained to treat various diseases.
• Shoots and foliage - young elements are eaten, like asparagus, the dry parts are used to prepare spices.
• Pulp. The fruit filling tastes like ginger and is used for cooking soft drink. The ash from this part is used to produce oil, which is used to cook food.
• The seeds are eaten raw. A drink reminiscent of coffee is prepared from dry seeds.
• In addition, pollen, pulp and ash are used in cosmetology and for making glue.

In what country and where do baobabs grow? As already noted, the main habitat of these trees is tropical African savannas. Below are some interesting facts related to this unique plant:

• In winter, the regions where baobabs grow are too dry, so they shed their leaves.
• Some of the dried fruits of the tree African tribes make glasses.
• The pulp of the plant is used in Kenya to make sweets.
• In one night, a baobab flower manages to open, attract pollinators and wither, emitting an extremely unpleasant odor.
• The height of the plants in question does not exceed their diameter by more than 2-3 times.
• The baobab adorns the coats of arms of two states.
• In Zimbabwe, there is a bus station located inside a huge tree.
• The largest specimens reach a girth of 50 meters or more.
• The baobab tree is capable of storing more than 100 thousand liters of liquid inside itself.
• The vitamin C content in one fruit is identical to four oranges.
• The African baobab is pollinated by one of the species of bats that crash into the flowers, hunting for insects, and then spread the pollen on their bodies to other plants.
• The plant has no vegetation for nine months of the year, which looks very strange and unusual.

In conclusion

Where baobab trees grow, there is a belief among local residents that the tree used to be a person. He angered the Almighty, and in revenge he turned him into a plant, which he planted upside down. By the way, the second name for baobab among Africans is “inverted tree.”

Looking at the environment around us, at the beauty that nature gives, at the trees that seem huge to us, you involuntarily ask the question: how old are the trees that we meet every day on our way to work? But that tree that seems to be the largest among all is just a small bush compared to the largest big tree in the world. Not everyone has seen and knows that one tree that has incredible dimensions. So what is the largest tree in the world?

Some historical facts

The name of the giant and only living creature of this size is sequoiadendron. Sequoia is also called sequoia for a reason. By appearance this tree resembles a mammoth huge size, and the hanging branches look like its tusks. For the first time in history, mention of sequoia appeared in 1853. Most often, these trees were found in western California, on the slope of the Sierra Nevada. The giant sequoiadendron amazed the people of the Old World, and representatives of this plant were given the names of great people. Liar Lindley, the first known botanist, was the first to describe the sequoia and named it after the English Duke of Wellington, who became a hero at the Battle of Waterloo. The Americans, having discovered another representative of the sequoia family, gave him the name George Washington in honor of the first president of the United States of America. After which, in 1939, the family giant trees got its name - sequoiadendron, which is used to this day.

Giant of our time

The largest tree in the world, the sequoiadendron, is currently located in the place where it was first discovered: in California. Now a national park with the same name “Sequoia” has been created there on the mountain peaks of the Sierra Nevada. The largest tree in the world, whose name is General Sherman, is named after the commander and politician William Tecumseh Sherman. He gained his fame on Civil War 1861-1865. He was called a talented general, as he possessed tactics of attacking the enemy, which was beyond the control of anyone. The general is also notorious for his tactics called “scorched earth.”

Tree dimensions

The height of the largest tree in the world is more than eighty-three meters. The circumference of the trunk is twenty-four meters, and the crown is more than thirty-three.

The forest in which this giant grows is named Giant forest. In addition, other sequoias grow there, but much smaller in size. This forest was first discovered by explorer John Muir in the nineteenth century. It was he who gave it this name. Part national park in which they grow huge trees, that’s what it’s called - the Giant Forest to this day.

Tourists who come to California specifically to see the largest tree in the world describe its bark as a red-orange stone, the top of which is impossible to see. When photographed next to the General Sherman tree, people look like tiny ants.

General Sherman's age

The question regarding the age of the legendary plant was controversial until recently. For a long time it was believed that the largest tree in the world is more than three thousand years old. But recently, experts, after conducting a series of studies, officially stated that the age of the legendary sequoiadendron is two and a half thousand years. It’s scary to imagine what this mighty tree could endure in order to grow to such stunning sizes. It is very difficult for a tree of this size to grow, and such giants die mainly not from old age, but because of the size of the branches, which are difficult for them to hold. The General Sherman tree also suffered losses in 2006. The largest and heaviest branch fell off, the diameter of which was two meters and the length was over thirty meters. When the branch fell, the fence and the road leading to the living attraction were destroyed. But even after such a loss, General Sherman’s tree did not cease to be considered the largest tree in the world.

In terms of size, General Sherman is the largest plant, but surprisingly not the oldest. The oldest tree is California pine, which was four and a half thousand years old. But unfortunately, it has not survived to this day, since it was cut down by unknown people in 1965. In the same year, trees were cut down that were as old as three thousand years. There is an opinion that there are still centenarians left on Earth, whose age is about five thousand years.

Tree growth

Even though the giant sequoiadendron is already huge, it continues to grow. Once a year, specialists take measurements, and it can be noted that the tree grows by one and a half centimeters every year.

In general, mature trees of the sequoiadendron species reach a height of one hundred meters, and a trunk diameter of up to twelve meters.

National Park and his workers made sure that all people could see the legendary giant and take a photo of the largest tree in the world. A special road has been built for people with disabilities, so they can see the tree as closely as possible.

There is also a tree tunnel in a national park in California that attracts a lot of attention from tourists. This tunnel is made from a redwood tree that fell in 1937. Since there was no way to move or remove the tree, employees were forced to create a tunnel leading into the park, since the fallen tree lay right at the entrance to the living attractions area.

In addition, the park has the peak of Moro Rock, which offers an incredible view of the entire “forest of giants.”

But unfortunately, all the giants and long-livers of the national park may disappear from the face of the Earth. This threat is related to the climate in California. The drought, which has been going on for several years, threatens all plants, including the largest tree in the world - the sequoiadendron. No matter how powerful the redwood trees are, they cannot resist fires. Also, due to the dryness, new trees do not have the opportunity to appear. The park staff are trying in every way to maintain the beneficial life of the legendary plants.

In the dry savannas of Africa grows the largest, oldest and mysterious tree- baobab. Some botanists even believe that this tree may be immortal, since it does not die in the standard sense, and it is very difficult to see its fibrous decomposition, since this is a rare phenomenon.

Basic information about the largest tree:

How long does a baobab live?, it is very difficult to find out, since there is no way to examine the growth rings of this tree, but when using carbon analysis on a tree with an eight-meter thick trunk, one can understand that it has already passed the threshold of four thousand five hundred years. The largest width ever encountered is sixteen meters. Accordingly, the oldest tree has been living for nine thousand years and has survived at least three major civilizations. So the question is how thick is a baobab tree— reveals the question of the lifespan of this tree.

Appearance of baobab

Just like all trees, the baobab has a trunk and a large root system, and due to the fact that in the savannas where the baobab grows there is a very harsh climate, the tree accumulates a lot of water and minerals in its roots and trunk, due to which the wood becomes very wet and soft. By the way, this method of survival brings with it Negative consequences for the baobab, since fungal diseases develop on it, and the tree loses its protective bark and receives some scars in the form of huge hollows. By old age, the tree can be completely empty from the inside.

The death of the baobab overtakes it in winter, when the body, worn out over the years, tries to nourish itself, but the receiving volume is small, and what is there begins to swell and peel off with fibers. Literally a month later, the tree already appears before observers as a bunch of scattered fibers that provide a nutritional basis for other types of plants.

But, despite the fact that the tree may still die, the population of these plants itself will not disappear, since the tree can bear more than a billion fruits - beans - over its entire life. They grow only in winter, receiving from the tree all the substances necessary for development and further growth. As a result, a fruit similar to an embryo appears; when it ripens, it gives off a huge number of small seeds. By the way, monkeys often eat beans, thereby contributing to the development of the population of this plant, carrying the seeds in their stomachs for many kilometers.

Also made from beans baobab oil whose properties are quite extensive:

1. Moisturizing and nourishing the skin.
2. Restoring and healing effect.
3. Fighting premature aging and the first signs of old age.
4. Skin toning.
5. The oil also has antiseptic properties.