THE AFRICAN BAOBAB BY RUPERT WATSON

THE AFRICAN BAOBAB BY RUPERT WATSON. HARDCOVER, FIRST EDITION, 2007, FULLLY INTACT DUST JACKET, NO INSCRIPTIONS OR NAMES, 200 PAGES, IN EXCELLENT CONDITION.

The baobab is surely the botanical symbol of Africa, instantly recognizable from afar and a compelling icon of the African landscape. This age-old 'upside-down tree invariably inspires wonder, awe and mystery, and has intrigued travellers for hundreds of years.In an absorbing, inspired account, author Rupert Watson explores the life and times of this fascinating tree, from its early Madagascan beginnings to its present status on the continent and its future in a changing Africa. He effortlessly mixes natural science, history and personal experience, drawing on extracts from the journals of early explorers who, on encountering these extraordinary trees, measured and sketched them for a sceptical audience back home; and he presents intriguing, detailed accounts of the baobab's eccentric growth and reproductive habits, its present-day distribution, and its wide impact on everyday African life.