Adansonia digitata

 

Family: it belonging to the Bombacaceae family, which includes Wild Chestnut (Pachira sp) and Fromager or Silk Cotton (Ceiba pentandra).

 

Description: Regarded as the largest succulent plant in the world, and sometimes referred to as the "giant Baobab," it is an imposing tree, growing to 25-30 m tall (80-100 ft), with a very large trunk, up to 28 m in girth (90ft), and massive branches; bark may be 50-100 mm thick (2-4 in); leaves palmate with 5-7 leaflets, hairy underneath; large, attractive, pendulous flowers, with white stamens and petals; produces a large, ovoid, light brown fruit with whitish powdery pulp covering hard, black, kidney-shaped seeds; reportedly, fruit has six times more vitamin C than oranges and twice as much calcium as milk.

 

Natural Habitat: Restricted to hot, dry woodland on stony, well drained soils, in low-rainfall, frost-free areas.

 

Origin and Distribution: Not native to St. Vincent; found in drier regions of Tropical Africa and Madagascar.

 

Uses: The wood is soft and spongy and not of much use; the bark on the lower part of the trunk can be harvested and pounded to retrieve a strong fibre to make various items such as mats, ropes, fishing nets, fishing lines, sacks, as well as clothing; the leaves are cooked as a vegetable and the sprouts of the young tree can be eaten like asparagus; due to huge trunk and unusually soft of wood, trees have been hollowed out and used as bars, shops and even prisons; medicinally, fruit, bark and leaves are used in Africa to treat fevers, kidney disease and other medical problems; for example, the white powdery substance in the seed, soaked in water, provides a drink used to treat fevers and other complaints..