James Fleming

Goui and phooey

The Wolof call it a goui, the Tswana a moana, the French the calabash tree and all Australia the boab. Welcome to the strange world of the baobab tree, the subject of Thomas Pakenham’s excellent new book.

The tree was discovered for Europe in 1749 by a 21-year-old Frenchman, Michel Adanson, after whom it has, taxonomically, been named. He was paddled out to the island of Sor, in Senegal, ‘to hunt antelope’ and instead found the baobab. It’s one of the largest living things in the world, as well as being among the most useful. Its girth is often over 100 feet. The seeds are eaten roasted and their pods made into snuff-boxes (for instance). Their protective pulp is rich in vitamin C. The hard, waterproof outer shell is converted into all sorts of domestic articles — Pakenham instances castanets. The flowers and leaves go into salads. The bark, which is used for ropes and roof tiles, grows back like cork after being stripped. But the timber is as soft as balsa and of no consequence.

There are eight species of baobab, six of them native to Madagascar. Introductions from these have been made to many other countries with hot, dry zones. Pollination for some species is by the hawkmoth (which will only come to a perfumed flower) and for others by bats (which prefer a flower stinking of carrion). Unless felled by farmers, which is increasingly the case in Madagascar, where the most spectacular specimens of A. Grandidieri survive, they live to about 1,000 years, the same as oaks.

In appearance some resemble the fat, untidy cigars of the pre-machine era. Others are frightful sprawlers. Like the kapok and bottle trees, their stomachs have to carry enough water to get them through the summer heats.

Already a subscriber? Log in

Keep reading with a free trial

Subscribe and get your first month of online and app access for free. After that it’s just £1 a week.

There’s no commitment, you can cancel any time.

Or

Unlock more articles

REGISTER

Comments

Don't miss out

Join the conversation with other Spectator readers. Subscribe to leave a comment.

Already a subscriber? Log in