African baobab

The mbuyu is the giant of the Swahili coast – its seeds are made into colourful mabuyu sweets, Mombasa’s favourite snack.

A tree of the African savannas with a barrel-shaped trunk that can exceed 10 m in girth and store thousands of litres of water. It stands leafless for most of the year. Its large white flowers open at night and are pollinated by bats. The fruits, in a hard, velvety shell, contain tangy, chalky pulp rich in vitamin C, and the hollow trunks of old trees were used to store water and even to bury the dead. The oldest baobabs live for more than a thousand years.

Significance in the country

Baobabs are the hallmark of the Kenyan coast and Tsavo; in Swahili culture many of them are believed to be home to spirits, and mabuyu – seeds in a colourful, sweet and spicy glaze – are sold in every market in Mombasa.

Where it grows

The coastal lowlands from Lamu to Shimoni and the dry plains of the hinterland – Tsavo East and West and the areas around Voi, Kitui and Makueni.

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