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The baobab is surely the botanical symbol of Africa, instantly recognizable from afar and a compelling icon of the African landscape. This age-old ‘upside-down tree’ invariably inspires wonder, awe and mystery, and has intrigued travellers for hundreds of years. In this absorbing and inspired account of The African Baobab, author Rupert Watson explores the life and times of this fascinating tree, from its early Madagascan beginnings to its present status on the continent and its future in a changing Africa. He effortlessly mixes natural science, history and personal experience, drawing on extracts from the journals of early explorers who, on encountering these extraordinary trees, measur...
This is the only comprehensive account of all eight species in the genus Adansonia. It describes the historical background from the late Roman period to the present. It covers the extraordinary variety of economic uses of baobabs. There are also appendices on vernacular names, gazetteer, economics, nutrition and forest mensuration. This book fills a gap in the botanical literature. It deals with a genus that has fascinated and intrigued scientists and lay persons for centuries.
Modern humans, descendants of a founding population that separated from chimpanzees some five to eight million years ago, are today the only living representative of a branching group of African apes called hominins. Because of its extraordinary size and shape, the baobab (Adansonia digitata L.) has long been identified as the most striking tree of Africa’s mosaic savanna, the landscape generally regarded as the environment of hominin evolution. This book makes the case for identifying the baobab as the tree of life in the hunter-gatherer adaptation that was the economic foundation of hominin evolution. The argument is based on the significance of the baobab as a resource-rich environment for the Hadza of northeastern Tanzania, who continue to be successful hunter-gatherers of the African savanna.
The author homes in on the most extraordinary tree of them all.
Born in England, Moss worked as a teacher in Kenya before becoming a children's book writer. This is her lyrical description of the ancient baobab tree and how it provides shelter and nourishment to wildlife of the African plain. Full color.
A photographic masterpiece, this beautiful book is a fitting tribute to the baobab – an extraordinary and majestic tree found principally in Madagascar, and peripherally in Africa and Australia. The first section offers a short introduction to the classification and general description of baobabs, details of their life history, biogeography, dispersal and their role in people’s lives. The second section comprises a guide to each of the eight baobab species, including botanical description, details of their habitat, distribution and principal uses, accompanied by clear images and line drawings of the leaves, flowers, fruits and growth habit of each species. Interesting text and lavish photographs throughout make this book irresistible for specialist botanists and lay enthusiasts alike, and it will have particular appeal for tourists too.
The ancient and curious baobab tree is the centre of this book about the wildlife of the wide African plain. Miriam Moss's poem combines with Adrienne Kennaway's artwork to trace activity around the culturally significant upside down tree throughout a day.
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