Baobab

The baobab is a distinctive long-lived tree native to the savannas of mainland Africa, Madagascar and parts of Arabia and Australia, immediately recognizable by its enormously thick, swollen trunk, which can store large amounts of water to help the tree survive long dry seasons. For much of the year it stands leafless, with sparse branches that have led to its folk description as looking as though it were planted upside down. Baobabs produce large white flowers that open at night and are pollinated mainly by fruit bats, followed by a hard-shelled fruit whose pulp is rich in vitamin C and widely eaten across its range. Some individual baobabs are believed to live well over a thousand years, and the tree holds deep cultural and practical importance across the communities that share its range.