Plant Family: Belonging to the Bombacaceae family, which includes Wild Chestnut (Pachira sp) and Fromager or Silk Cotton (Ceiba pentandra).

Description: Regarded as the largest succulent plant in the world, and sometimes referred to as the "giant Baobab," it is an imposing tree, growing to 25 m in height (80 ft), with a very large trunk, up to 28 m in girth (90ft); bark may be 50-100 mm thick (2-4 in), and thick branches; leaves palmate with 5-7 leaflets, hairy underneath; large, attractive flowers, hanging with white petals; produces a large cylindrical fruit with whitish powdery substance inside covering hard, black, kidney-shaped seeds. The current tree in the Dominica Botanic Gardens is growing from a shoot which sprang from the stem of the original tree blown down by hurricane David in 1979.

Natural Habitat: Restricted to hot, dry woodland on stoney, well drained soils, in low-rainfall, frost-free areas.

Origin and Distribution: Not native to Dominica; found in drier regions of Tropical Africa and Madagascar.

Uses: The wood is soft and spongy and not of much use; the bark on the lower part of the trunk can be harvested and pounded to retrieve a strong fibre to make various items such as mats, ropes, fishing nets, fishing lines, sacks, as well as clothing; the leaves are cooked as a vegetable and the sprouts of the young tree can be eaten like asparagus; medicinally, the white powdery substance in the seed, soaked in water, provides a drink used to treat fevers and other complaints.

Indigenous Legends: In Africa, the tree is steeped in legend and superstition wherever it occurs. For example, in some parts it is worshipped as a symbol of fertility, or it is believed that a man who drinks an infusion of the bark will become strong.

References:
US National Tropical Botanical Gardens, (ntbg.org). Kalaheo, Hawaii 2004.