“The Upside-Down Tree”

THAT is a nickname for Africa’s baobab. When covered with leaves and flowers, the baobab is a beautiful sight. But in winter the short bare branches protrude from the fat trunk and look like the roots of an upturned tree.

A group of baobabs in northern Botswana is called the Seven Sisters. They were painted by artist-explorer Thomas Baines in the 19th century. If one compares Baines’ painting of over a century ago with the trees today, very few differences are apparent.

This shows the baobab’s durability and longevity. It is estimated that the largest trees are thousands of years old. The baobab thrives in the hot, dry regions of Africa and has many life-sustaining properties. The pods contain chalky-white seeds that taste like cream of tartar. Elephants enjoy eating the bark and soft wood, which has a high moisture content. In fact, caches of rainwater are sometimes found at the hollow junction of branches and in cavities formed inside the tree.

Another impressive feature of the baobab is its enormous girth. The largest of these giants is reported to be on the southern slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania; it has a circumference of 92 feet [28 m]. One hollow baobab in Zimbabwe was used as a bus shelter and could hold over 30 people.

It seems paradoxical that intelligent man should live out his brief threescore and ten years while “the upside-down tree” may live for thousands of years. Fortunately, we have every assurance that the Creator of all living things will completely fulfill his promise that the days of his people will be “like the days of a tree.”​—Isaiah 65:22; Psalm 90:10.