Anyone who has read " The Little Prince " should know that there is an evil plant called " Baobab ". If it is allowed to grow, it may swallow the entire planet. Of course, this kind of plant in Africa Baobabs certainly don't grow to this extent. But this kind of baobab tree is also very large, can drink, eat, and even live in. What is also worth mentioning is its lifespan. The lifespan of the baobab tree is as long as 5,000 years, and it is found throughout the entire African continent. Very rare.
China even introduced this magical tree, but after coming to China, it changed drastically. What is the reason for this? First, let’s understand what a baobab tree is. Baobab trees are mainly distributed on the African continent. For us, the heat in Africa is nothing to them, and they even mainly grow in these hot and dry places.
But only in Africa, its whole body can be used, so the locals call it the "Tree of Life". First of all, it has edible value. I believe you can probably guess it when you see the name. But its fruit only looks like bread and does not taste like it. As a fruit, it is very popular in the local area. I didn’t know that the baobab tree has a thick trunk and its fruits are also very huge. One fruit is as big as a basketball. The flesh of the baobab fruit is very tender, and the date is quite juicy in this arid place, but the taste is a bit sour, but it is very delicious compared to other tropical fruits.
In addition to its fruits, its branches and leaves are also the main source of food for the African people. Why is it said that he is full of treasures? Water skin and baobab shells, due to their toughness, can be used as raw materials for ropes and cloth. The large amount of water contained in the trunk can also be used as an important basic material for making pulp.
And because the wood of the baobab tree is loose enough, it is very conducive to storing water. So when the rainy season comes, they will use their own wooden structures and thick trunks to absorb water to prevent drought periods. Their thick branches are also caused by absorbing too much water. The thick tree trunks are even built by local people into treehouses to protect them from wind and rain. In addition to
, its seeds also have wonderful uses. After roasting the seeds, they found that the seeds could even replace coffee. The baobab tree, which is excellent in all aspects, came to our country.
The baobab trees that can be introduced into our country not only do not grow well, they even cannot survive. After these baobab trees were introduced to my country's relatively hot Sanya, the environment is obviously more suitable for their growth than before, but they seem to have shrunk. Not only are they not as tall as before, but the trunk volume is also much thinner than before. Why is this?
The problem lies in the climate. The climate in Africa is dry and droughts occur all year round. Although Sanya in my country has a hot climate, it is not as harsh as the environment in Africa, and the precipitation is relatively sufficient. The baobab tree has a special texture, like a sponge, with a strong ability to absorb water. There is no problem in absorbing water normally in Africa, but in Sanya, if you absorb water in the previous way, you will probably die.
In order to adapt to the humid environment in our country, it has to reduce its size and absorb less water. Therefore, most of the baobab trees growing in our country look thin and short.
What about planting baobab trees in some drier areas of our country? The desert in northwest my country is arid and hot, much drier than Sanya. But although the northwest region can meet the conditions of drought, in winter, the temperature in the desert will become very low. The temperature that can be reached during the day is far from enough at night. The environment where the baobab trees used to grow remains the same all year round. The sun is abundant and the low temperatures in winter in the northwest are also a severe test for them. Therefore, baobab trees are mostly introduced into my country for ornamental arboriculture.
In Africa, due to the extinction of seed dispersers elephant birds , global warming , unlimited demands from humans, there are becoming fewer and fewer of these trees. In order to prevent the baobab tree from also going extinct, It is urgent to protect the environment!
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