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Baobabs are to be found around the south of Mayotte. With their 10 metres high, they are true mastodons, yet weak, for a slight burst of wind can bring them down.
The Baobab is also known as the African Baobab or the Palaver Tree.
The baobab, an unusual tree name derived from the Arabic bu hibah meaning multi-grain fruit, is generally massive with swollen trunk, spongy and soft wood and a monstrous size for its species. It may indeed be 25 m high, 5-7 m in diameter with a circumference of over 12 m.
The baobab – a tropical tree of the bombacaceae family, the scientific name of which is Adansonia digitata (from Michel Adanson’s name, who described it in detail for the first time in 1768 following a visit in Senegal) - is a slow growing tree that can live from 2000 to 3000 years.
As a tree native of Africa, the baobab is found in the islands of the Indian ocean, particularly in The Comoros Islands.
The fruit called baobab or monkey bread (buyu in the Mahoran language) is edible. It is of oblong shape, covered by a brown fluffy texture and contains seeds coated with a dried pulp. Its tart flavour appeals to both men and monkeys.
The baobab seeds, very nutritious, are eaten roasted. Some use them to make coffee and cooking oil. Thanks to their high content in phosphate, they can be used to make soap and fertilizer.
The young shoots and the roots of young plants are also edible.
The pulp of the fresh or dried fruit is used, mixed up with water, to make a refreshing drink called buyu juice or buyu. The resulting decoction is used as an antidiarrheal for its astringent properties. The pulp is also used to treat malaria ...
In Africa, almost all in the baobab - roots, trunk, bark, leaves, pulp, seeds, etc. – can be used to make medicines and food.
The African baobab is a sacred tree for many African nations. Sometimes its location serves as a spot for gathering and community life, hence the palaver tree name.
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