This odd photo is of a baobab tree is possibly the strangest tree in the world. It is the oldest life form on the African continent, and many that are still standing today have been around since Roman times. The baobab is found mostly in the savannas of African and India, growing typically around the equator. It can grow up to 25 meters tall (about 80 feet), and can live for an astounding five thousand years or more!

They have no leaves nearly all year, and their thick, huge trunks are fire-resistant, storing water during the dry season.

Arabian legend says, “The devil plucked up the baobab, thrust its branches into the earth and left its roots in the air”. This tree, located in Madagascar, is known by the people in the area as the ‘Teapot Baobab”.

The entire tree is used by the resourceful inhabitants of where this tree thrives. The baobab’s bark, leaves, fruit, and trunk are all used. The bark of the baobab is used for rope, or to make clothing, the leaves for condiments and various remedies. The fruit, called “monkey bread”, is eaten. People often live inside of the huge trunks, and bush-babies often live inside the crown. What an useful, old, and strange tree the baobab is!