The Baobab: A Tree Built for Dry Land

The Baobab: A Tree Built for Dry Land

1In dry parts of Africa, a strange-looking tree stands tall over the grassy land. It is called the baobab (say BAY-oh-bab). Its trunk is so thick that it can look like a giant barrel. Baobabs also grow on the island of Madagascar and in Australia.

2The baobab's thick trunk helps it live through the long dry season, when months can pass with almost no rain. During the rainy season, the tree soaks up water and stores it in the soft, spongy wood of its trunk. Later, when the land is dry, the tree uses the water it saved.

3In the dry season, a baobab drops all of its leaves. Leaves let water escape into the air, so losing them helps the tree save water. Without leaves, its bare branches spread out like roots. That is why some people call the baobab the "upside-down tree."

4Around the time the rains return, new leaves grow and large white flowers appear. The flowers open at night. Bats visit them to drink nectar, and the bats carry pollen from one flower to another. Later, the flowers turn into big fruits with hard shells. Inside, the fruit is dry and powdery. People eat it and mix it into drinks.

5Baobabs are important to animals, too. Birds build nests in their branches. In very dry times, elephants sometimes chew the bark and soft wood to get water. Some baobabs have lived for more than a thousand years, so one tree can give food and shelter to animals for a very long time.