Brief Beauty

In contrast to the solid bulkiness of the tree, the Baobab’s flowers are delicate and fragile looking. The pendulous white flowers, centred with a soft brush of bright yellow pollen, bloom for just 24 hours before falling gracefully to the ground.  The waxy white flowers appear in spring or early summer. The buds start to open in the late afternoon, the flowers opening completely at sunset to be pollinated at night by fruit bats and several species of bushbaby. By the next afternoon they have wilted and fallen, their work completed. 

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Two Africans on life and Baobabs in Africa

Two Africans on life and Baobabs in Africa

Watch this: Koffi Bepe, a young Gabonese engineering student wanted to know more about the commercial value of African Baobabs. Through the African Baobab Alliance website he ended up interviewing one of their founding members; South African baobab specialist Dr Sarah Venter, for his quirky, down to earth podcast, ‘Last Week Review”. What follows is […]

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where do you go with the baobab fruit?

where do you go with the baobab fruit?

Last week while on a photo shoot in Venda,  the harvesters asked me where I went with all the baobab fruit I buy from them.  So I said, why don’t you come and see?  We worked out the taxi money from Venda and back and set a date for the following Thursday.   The women […]

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The Legend of the Upside-down Tree

The Legend of the Upside-down Tree

A very, very long time ago, say some African legends, the first baobab sprouted beside a small lake. As it grew taller and looked about it spied other trees, noting their colorful flowers, straight and handsome trunks, and large leaves. Then one day the wind died away leaving the water smooth as a mirror, and […]

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