Page 56 - may2021

Plant tip - by Patricia Lynn Freeman
from around her garden in Palapye
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The magnificent baobab
tree, Adansonia digitata, is an
African continent marvel,
and a definite feature plant
to have in the garden. It is
the root of many African
remedies, traditions, and
folklore, nicknamed: “The
Tree of Life.”
It is a prehistoric species
that carbon dating concludes
may live up to 3,000 years
old. Not only long-lived
these trees are also enormous,
regarded as the largest
succulents in the world.
The ‘Sagole’ baobab in the
Limpopo province of South
Africa has a diameter of 10m.
In a climate that is extremely
dry and arid, baobabs are
a symbol of life, providing
shelter, food, and water for
humans and animals. The
baobab absorbs and stores
water from the rainy season
in its massive trunk,
enabling it to produce a
nutrient-dense fruit in the
dry season.
In the garden, make sure it is
away from any hard
landscaping and has plenty
of space to grow... like 10m!