Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image

THE MONKEY BREAD TREF.

The baobob or^mbnke'y bread tree is a most extraordinary production of nature. Imagine to yourself a tree 30ft in diameter at the base, and only 40£fc high, with the trunk - rapidly diminishing towards the topj and ; then spreading out into what looks liko a little forest. In one of the old trees form a spherical head 100 to 150 ft in diameter, the centre branch rising to the height of 60ffc, while" others drop over the main trunk, and conceal it from view. Some of these trees -have been hollowed out, and a space made large enough to hold 20 to 30: men without any apparent injury to" the tree. The baobob must be the slowest growing plant in the world, as ib is supposed to be one of the oldest. A tree has been cultivated in the gardens of Kew over 40 years, and thus far it has attained the height of only 4Jft\ Some of these trees are estimated to be 5000 years old, and dates are cut in the bark which were made in the fourteenth century.

This article text was automatically generated and may include errors. View the full page to see article in its original form.
Permanent link to this item

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CL18940323.2.36

Bibliographic details

Clutha Leader, Volume XX, Issue 1026, 23 March 1894, Page 7

Word Count
184

THE MONKEY BREAD TREF. Clutha Leader, Volume XX, Issue 1026, 23 March 1894, Page 7

THE MONKEY BREAD TREF. Clutha Leader, Volume XX, Issue 1026, 23 March 1894, Page 7