Famous Trees

Nobody travelling through the regions where baobabs grow could fail to see and recognise such large and often grotesque trees dominating the landscape. They act as signposts along the road and markers of former battles, historical meetings, etc. Others are adorned with the names, initials and graffiti of early explorers and traders, and are therefore of obvious interest to historians. Other trees are of religious or mystical significance and are the subject of legend and folklore and of many a traveller’s tale; these are dealt with in Chapter 3. Their stories have been handed down verbally and have varied somewhat in their telling.