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there are nine species of baobab in the world, six of them are endemic to Madagascar, making the baobab tree
symbolic to the big island.
The large flowers of baobab live only for one night and open almost
simultaneously for all individuals of the same species. Baobabs are pollinated
by moths, bats and bees.
Birds such as sunbirds and
certain lemurs also visit baobab flowers and can
have a modest pollinating activity.
The oldest known baobab species (A. rubrustipa) located
in the Tsimanampetsotse reserve is believed
to be over 1,600 years old.<br><br>
In baobabs, all the cells
are alive. This explains their exceptional
healing and regeneration capabilities.
Giants tolerate natural or
man-made mutilations well and easily regenerate which
sometimes gives them astonishing forms.
The fruit contain a dry
and chalky pulp with interesting
nutritional qualities, pulp,
which mixed with water and
sugar, constitutes a refreshing and
vitamin-rich drink. Baobab seeds are oilseeds,
richer in oil than peanuts. Baobab oils contain different
fatty acids (palmitic, oleic, linoleic) but also cyclopropenic
acids which must be degraded by cooking in order to make
edible oil. The seeds are
sometimes roasted and used for coffee.
In the South, women prepare beauty masks from bark reduced to
a paste.<br><br>
On the Mahafaly plateau, baobabs (A. a) are the
subject of a unique practice in the world! Their trunk is
hollowed out and the cavities
thus formed serve as cisterns. In the
rainy season, they are filled with
water. These reserves allow
men to survive in the dry season in
a particularly arid
and hostile environment.<br><br>
For the Sakalava ethnic group, the
baobab is a sacred tree. The species A.
grandidieri is called "reniala"
which means "mother of the forest".<br><br>
The Sakalava associate the
Cistern baobab (A. za)
baobab with wild nature and feminine symbolism. Certain
sacred baobabs are places of worship dedicated to women
and children. The ceremonies,
which take place at their foot, focus
on the fertility of women, the
good health of children or even the
fertility of the land, particularly
during a symbolic ritual called
"fitahan-jaza". A Malagasy legend
says that Imbelo, the first man,
created woman by carving
her from baobab wood. Many
other legends are dedicated to
baobab.
== Additional information ==