The Fab Baobab

The Fab Baobab
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Commonly known as the „upside
down tree‟ the Baobab is a vital
tool for communities living
across rural Africa.
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But just how much do you know
about the fab Baobab? Click on
the numbers and discover the
many secrets it has to hold…
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The Fab Baobab
The Baobab tree gets slimmer in
the summer sun.
TRUE
or
FALSE
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The Fab Baobab
The Baobab tree gets slimmer in
the summer sun.
TRUE
or
INCORRECT
1
The Fab Baobab
TRUE!
In winter the Baobab drinks lots
of water, and stores it in the
trunk– making it thicker.
In the summer, when there is
less water around, the Baobab
uses the water it stored in the
winter, so it gets thinner!
The Fab Baobab
The leaves of the Baobab are
very small, some no bigger than
5cm long.
TRUE
or
FALSE
2
The Fab Baobab
The leaves of the Baobab are
very small, some no bigger than
5cm long.
TRUE
or
FALSE
2
The Fab Baobab
FALSE!
The leaves of the Baobab can be
up to 10cm long.
They can be used as an
ingredient in a cooking sauce.
They can also be used as a
medicine to treat:
• Fever
• Stomach ache
• Diaorreah
• Asthma
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The Fab Baobab
The average life-expectancy of a
Baobab tree is 500 years
TRUE
or
FALSE
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The Fab Baobab
The average life-expectancy of a
Baobab tree is 500 years
INCORRECT
or
FALSE
3
The Fab Baobab
FALSE!
The Baobab is very difficult to
kill, and they have been known
to live for over 2,000 years!
However, when a Baobab does
die, it‟s very sudden. They rot
from the inside and crash to the
ground with a THUMP.
The Fab Baobab
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The Baobab can grow up to
50m tall.
TRUE
or
FALSE
The Fab Baobab
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The Baobab can grow up to
50m tall.
INCORRECT
or
FALSE
The Fab Baobab
20m
FALSE!
The Baobab can grow up to
20m tall.
It has also been known to grow
15m in girth
(all the way around the trunk).
The Fab Baobab
The fruit from the Baobab tree
can be used as a medicine, a
drink and musical instrument!
TRUE
or
FALSE
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The Fab Baobab
The fruit from the Baobab tree
can be used as a medicine, a
drink and musical instrument!
TRUE
or
INCORRECT
The Fab Baobab
TRUE!
The fruit of the Baobab has
many uses:
• It makes a refreshing and
nutritious drink.
• It can be used a medicine to
treat the common cold.
• The seeds can be used to
make flour.
• The hard shell can be used as
a container, and is often
turned into a musical
instrument!
The Fab Baobab
The roots of the Baobab are
used to make dye for textiles
and paint.
TRUE
or
FALSE
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The Fab Baobab
The roots of the Baobab are
used to make dye for textiles
and paint
TRUE
or
INCORRECT
6
The Fab Baobab
TRUE!
The roots of the Baobab are
crushed in order to make a dye
for textiles and paint.
The Fab Baobab
The wood from the Baobab is
used to make canoes and paper.
TRUE
or
FALSE
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The Fab Baobab
The wood from the Baobab is
used to make canoes and paper.
TRUE
or
INCORRECT
7
The Fab Baobab
TRUE!
The wood from the Baobab is
ideal for making paper and
canoes. It can also be used as a
firewood, and in great for
firing pottery.
However, the wood from the
Baobab is only usually only used
after the tree has died.
The Fab Baobab
The bark of the Baobab tree is
the only part that has no real use
– it can‟t be turned
into anything!
TRUE
or
FALSE
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The Fab Baobab
The bark of the Baobab tree is
the only part that has no real use
– it can‟t be turned
into anything!
INCORRECT
or
FALSE
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The Fab Baobab
FALSE!
The bark from the Baobab can
be used to make a strong rope.
This means that people can:
• pull water from wells
• tie furniture joints together
• make rafts
The bark can also be used as a
medicine to treat fever.
The Fab Baobab
Local villagers often hollow out
the trunk of the Baobab tree and
use it as a cold store room.
TRUE
or
FALSE
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The Fab Baobab
Local villagers often hollow out
the trunk of the Baobab tree and
use it as a cold store room.
TRUE
or
INCORRECT
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The Fab Baobab
TRUE!
In older trees the trunk is
normally hollowed out because it
provides a great cold store for
food and drink.
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The Fab Baobab
CONGRATULATIONS!
You are now an expert on the
Baobab tree. Did you know that
one tree could do so much?!
In fact, locals often call the
Baobab “The Nurse” because so
many of its parts can be used for
medicine.
Because of its huge size and
many uses, the Baobab tree is
very important to communities
in Africa.