African baobab – Gorakh Chinch

A rare tree in India with a lifespan of thousands of years is the “African Baobab”. Originally found in Africa, Madagascar, and Australia, this tree is estimated to have come to India around 250 to 300 years ago. Like India, this tree has spread to other countries as well. The spread of this tree may have been through the sea in some places and in some places it may have been done by the people who migrated. The tree is called as “Gorakhchinch” or “Chorchinch”  in maharashtra, and “Monkey Breadtree” in other countries. The shape of some trees of this type is like an upside down tree i.e. the root stock is on the top side and the trunk is on the bottom side, so this tree is also called ‘upside down tree’ in some places in English.

Originally from Africa, this giant tree was brought to India hundreds of years ago. Adansonia digitata (Adansonia digitata) is a giant tree, although it is foreign, it is considered to be a member of our Malvaceae family in India. Its maximum height is about 50 feet and trunk circumference can be up to 100 feet. The trunk of such a giant tree has the capacity to store thousands of litres of water, and this is the great feature of this tree. In the deserts of Africa, this tree is useful for sustaining itself as well as for other organisms. Drums from the trunk of this tree are also used for living in Africa. The life of this tree can be up to 1000 years or even more.

The flowers of this tree have 5 petals and long stems, and these flowers bloom at night. Their faint fragrance permeates the area. After the flowers fall, it produces bottle-shaped fruits about 1 foot long. The fruit has a slightly sweet and slightly bitter taste. A large amount of amino acids, minerals, calcium, vitamin C are found in this fruit. The leaves contain vitamin C, sugar, potassium and tartrate. Its fruit also has many medicinal properties. The syrup is cooling and anti-inflammatory compared to other syrups in summer. Because the wood of this tree is soft but durable, it is also used in many places. Almost all parts of this tree are used by humans.

Nine varieties of baobab exist in the world and have been transported around the world. Some varieties are found in India. These trees are still seen in some places in and around Alibaug. One can be seen on the way to Sri Datta Mandir on the hill at Bhowale in Chaul. In Alibaug a tree is seen at the backside of the Shri Ram temple at Ramnath, another tree is seen by the roadside at Korlai on the way to Murud from Revdanda. Also, while going to the Hingulja temple in Chaul, a large Gorakhcinch tree can be seen on the left side. Just as in India we liken the coconut tree to be “Kalpavruksha” (The tree which gives you everything you want), so in Africa this tree is considered similar to the “Kalpavruksha”.