THE devil upended the baobab and planted it upside down. So says Arab legend. In Burkino Faso and Tanzania, folklore has it that the tree wouldn't stop walking, so God planted it with root-feet in the air and branches underground. A Zimbabwean version has it that God inverted the tree in anger when he couldn't get a drink out of it.
It's no surprise that the mighty baobab attracts such legends. Various Adansonia species grow in arid regions of Africa, Madagascar and Australia and have provided resources for humans for thousands of years. Each can store up to 100,000 litres of water in its bloated trunk, so that Zimbabwean god was unlucky not to get a drink. The baobab's fruit is known as "monkey bread" and is apparently rich in vitamin C.
These shots were taken in Madagascar by Canadian photographer Elaine Ling. For an idea of scale, look at the man in the photo in the lower-right photo (above) – the trees can grow up to 30 metres tall. Ling says her photographs are reflections on the ancient dialogue between these enduring megatrees and the people who live among them.
One baobab, the Platland tree in South Africa, was carbon-dated and found to be at least 1275 years old. It is extraordinary that an individual tree can have an influence on the lives of so many generations of people. Children playing under the local baobab can imagine time-travelling to ancient times when the very same tree grew in the same place – unless it had wandered around.
This article appeared in print under the headline "Ancient megatrees"
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