Adansonia digitata
Often called ‘upside-down’ trees because it looks as if their roots are in the air, baobabs have a legacy of providing both symbolic significance and life-giving abundance to those who live close by. Their bark has been used for cloth, rope and fuel. They provide edible fruit and leaves and catchment basins and reservoirs for vital rainwater. Due to their ability to weather all sorts of abuse by rope-weaving humans and hungry elephants, and the way that they sprout to life even when cut down completely, they’ve come to symbolize endurance and longevity, as well as community, as tribal meetings are often held in the relief of their shade.