Big Tree at Victoria Falls

The Big Tree is a large baobab[1] of the species Adansonia digitata situated close to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. It is unusually large for a baobab,[2] measuring 22.40 meters (~73 ft) in girth and 24 meters (~79 ft) tall.[3]

Big Tree at Victoria Falls
SpeciesAdansonia digitata
LocationVictoria Falls, Zimbabwe

The explorer and missionary David Livingstone became the first European to observe Victoria Falls in 1854,[4] naming the falls after Queen Victoria. While the Big Tree is sometimes referred to as Livingstone's Tree,[3] Livingstone carved his name into a smaller baobab tree on Garden Island above the precipice of the waterfall.[5]

The Big Tree grows roughly 2 km from the Zambezi River, Victoria Falls, and the island where Livingstone made landfall in a mokoro dugout canoe and wrote his records. This tree is possibly the oldest and biggest baobab in the world.[6] Some similar trees were lost by the flooding further downstream that occurred when Kariba Dam was finished in 1956.[7] Unlike the animals rescued and saved by Operation Noah during the flooding, the trees could not be relocated, and many were bulldozed so they would not become underwater hazards.

It is estimated that The Big Tree may be about 2,000 years old based on girth and growth ring data collected from other trees. However, it is deeply incised and there is speculation that it may be composed of three distinct tree trunks (or trees) and it may be considerably younger.[6]

Conservation

The Big Tree is protected by National Museums and Monuments of Zimbabwe under whose jurisdiction it falls (not Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority). Over previous years name carvers have left their mark on the tree, leading to the erection of a fence to protect it from vandals.[3]

Other giants

There are a number of other huge baobabs in Zimbabwe that may be larger (but are not as well known). Some of them are;

  • Three Giants in the Save Conservancy (two of which are called twins due to their close proximity to each other)
  • One huge tree at Nkayi
  • One in Gona-Re-Zhou National Park

Kapok trees, with swollen trunks and also members of the family Malvaceae and the same order, are the baobab's "New World" equivalents. Kapoks are found in Peru and Brazil, South America. As introduced exotic trees flourish in Zimbabwe, some achieving great heights, probably taller than in their native habitats. There is one notable tree in Borrowdale Shopping Centre, Harare, and several (including a group of four) in the city parks of Mutare.

References
  1. "Baobab | Description, Species, Distribution, & Importance | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2022-12-08.
  2. Baum, David A. (1995). "A Systematic Revision of Adansonia (Bombacaceae)". Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden. 82 (3): 440–471. doi:10.2307/2399893. ISSN 0026-6493. JSTOR 2399893.
  3. "David Livingstone's 'curse' on the Big Tree | Celebrating Being Zimbabwean". Retrieved 2022-09-26.
  4. "David Livingstone Reaches the Victoria Falls | History Today". www.historytoday.com. Retrieved 2022-09-26.
  5. "The Big Tree Victoria Falls". victoriafallstraveller.com. 2022-08-09. Retrieved 2022-09-26.
  6. Moens, Jonathan (2021-11-26). "How Old Is Zimbabwe's Famed 'Big Tree'?". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved 2022-09-26.
  7. "Kariba". www. Zambian history.com. Retrieved 2022-09-26.
  • Mullins L J, 2004, Historic Trees of Zimbabwe, CBC Publishing

17°54′45″S 25°50′28″E

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