African baobab

Baobabs line the shores of Lake Malawi and the banks of the Shire River, and their tangy pulp goes into local juices and ice creams.

The African baobab is a mighty tree with a thick, barrel-shaped trunk that stands leafless through the dry season, storing water in its soft wood. It bears white flowers that open at night and are pollinated by bats. The fruits, with a hard, velvety shell, contain dry, tangy pulp rich in vitamin C, used to make drinks and snacks. The leaves are cooked into a vegetable stew, and the bark fibres are twisted into rope. The trees can live for more than a thousand years, and their hollow trunks once served as shelters and tombs.

Significance in the country

The baobab, mlambe in Chichewa, is a fixture of the landscape along the shores of Lake Malawi and in Liwonde National Park. Fruit gathered by rural communities is processed into powder, juices and jams, sold at home and abroad.

Where it grows

Hot lowlands: the shores of Lake Malawi (Mangochi, Salima, Nkhotakota, Karonga, Likoma Island), the upper Shire valley with Liwonde National Park and the lower Shire valley (Chikwawa, Nsanje).

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