Crucian Baobab

Adansonia digitata Origin: St. Croix, US Virgin Islands Improvement status: Wild Seeds per packet: 6 BOTANICAL SAMPLE - NOT GERMINATION TESTED Life cycle: Perennial It's no exaggeration to say that humanity was born in the shade of a baobab tree. No doubt our ancestors enjoyed the bounty of the iconic baobab long before we humans even evolved. In the hot sun of the African savannah, the singularly wide trunk of the baobab offers the best shade around, the large fruits and edible leaves offer important nutrition and medicine too, while the very presence of a baobab tree is an indication of groundwater in the area (the trees can retain thousands of gallons of water themselves, which people can tap in a pinch). Baobab trees are the stuff of legend, laden with cultural meaning and power. And the existence of the tree that produced these special seeds provides living proof of their importance. These seeds come from one of a handful of African baobab trees that can be found growing on the is