Majestic and sacred, baobab trees are emblematic of the Malagasy flora. The name “baobab” was drawn from Arabic words bu hibab which means “a fruit with many seeds”. This tree can be also called by two other names: “Reniala”, the name given by Malagasy natives which literally means “mother of the forest” and “bottle tree” since its trunk is filled with water.  Baobab trees have attracted millions of travelers with their special shape and remarkable ages. They set up an important reserve of water which makes them last despite their habitat’s climate conditions. Its peculiar shape has made baobab a particular tree; its root is risen to the sky unlike other trees.

There are eight species of baobab worldwide and not less than seven are located in Madagascar.

• African Monkey bread is one of the baobab species we can find in Madagascar and over the African continent. This is the most known by travelers and tourists. Its name comes from Latin digitum which means fingers.  This type has a short but thick stem, and a large and protruding crown which makes it like a great mesh of roots. The old baobab of Mahajanga belongs to this species.
• Grandidier’s baobab is estimated to be the most famous baobab in Madagascar because of its size: it grows to a height of 25 meters and remains slender and straight over time. Grandidier’s baobabs are generally found in the western side of Madagascar – from Morombe to Morondava – and constitutes the famous Baobab Alley.
• The third of them is the Malagasy monkey bread which measures from five to 25 meters in high and remains slender. It is quite rare in Madagascar and can be only found in the northwest regions – between Antsiranana and the river of Sambirano.
• “Fony”, as how native people call it, grows several meters in width but never goes higher than 12 meters. This one can be located in the southwest cost of the island, around Toliara and along the west coast of old spiny forests habitats. Along the rainy season, this species is the only one to give yellow flowers instead of red ones.
• “Za”, a Malagasy expression, is another appellation of baobab by southern tribes. It has a cylindric shape and grows up from 10 to 30 meters. Za is found in the very south of Madagascar such as in the Andohahela national park, Zombitse-Vohibasia and Isalo national park.
• Near the “Montagne Français” and the forest of Mahory, another type of baobabs named Suarez Monkey Bread stays beneath other foliage trees. It does not grow taller than 20 meters and goes slender in thick horizontal branches.
• Perrier’s monkey bread is the one located in the Ambilobe area; it can reach up to 20 to 25 meters in height. Very few of this species exist at the moment.

Baobabs remain young trees between their 10^th and 15^th years. Once reaching their 20s, baobabs flourish for the first time and start to build their stems that can reach several meters, according to their species. Between their 30^th and 40^th years, the first branches start to develop horizontally and shape their characteristic crowns. Reaching the age of 70, baobabs cease to grow in height and start to get wider to reach the target bottle size. At the last blooming stage, they can live many hundred years.

In rainy seasons, the buds sprout step by step and become green. In one month, baobabs are in full leaves and give pink to red flowers. Baobabs grow only a few centimeters per year, and baobab trees can survive for 800 years.

Sources: Madagascar Information Network-Magazine, Madagascar Treasure Island