Baobabs

The San believed there were no young baobabs (Adansonia digitata) but that the gods – for whatever reason – simply planted the adult trees upside down. What is more, they believed that a lion would kill anyone who picked the white flowers that appear in the evening (and fall the next morning) between October and December. Baobab wood is light and useless, although people have traditionally used the bark to make rope. The leaves are eaten as a vegetable. In addition the leaves, bark and the white pulp of the fruit, which contains tartaric acid, are used to relieve fevers and treat diarrhoea.

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