As regular visitors to Gangewadiya, across the southern boundary of Wilpattu National Park where the Kala Oya flows into the Dutch Bay, we have often seen its magnificent mangroves - the building blocks that give life to eco systems.
On this particular day, our expedition was to research on the Baobab Tree and report on a specimen that was till then the subject of folklore. Situated on the western boundary of Wilpattu, it took a combination of trekking and a 30-minute boat ride to reach this massive tree.
The Baobab (also referred to as Baob or upside-down tree) is native to Africa. It is also reported that there are a few species of Baobab in Madagascar and Australia. The existence of Baobab trees in Sri Lanka is little known, both locally and internationally.
In Africa, the tree is used for many things. The Baobab's bark, leaves, fruit, and trunk all have their uses. The bark is used for cloth and rope, the leaves for condiments and medicines. The rope made of the inner bark has earned the following Bengal saying “As secure as an elephant bound with a Baobab rope,” exemplifying its sheer strength and versatility.
The Baobab also has the capacity to store life giving water during periods of drought - with quantifiable estimates confirming many hundreds of litres.The African Baobab tree is deciduous and some trees are believed to be over a thousand years old. It also produces large aromatic flowers up to seven inches wide and some trees also produce fruit. It is said that the African Baobab tree has fruits appealing to baboons and is thus nicknamed monkey-bread.
Our most able boatman - Vijay, who piloted us up the Pomparippu Aru spoke in endearing terms about this tree which the local lingo has termed Ali-Gaha ( Elephant Tree) as its bark reminds them of an elephant’s epidermis.
The presence of Baobab trees in Sri Lanka is somewhat of a mystery - its origins and import are to this day the subject of speculation. One school of thought is that the tree was introduced to Sri Lanka by the Kaffir community - now settled in the north west Sirambiyadi area as well as in Trincomalee. The other, has it that Arab traders brought it to our shores. Both theories probably hold currency.
The exact number of Baobab trees in Sri Lanka has yet to be quantified but a rough guess throws up a figure between 40 to 60 trees surviving in the north western and northern areas.
Although most of the trees are scattered in and around Mannar, one of the largest Baobab trees with a circumference of over 15 metres and the subject of our expedition, is located across the Gangewadiya basin on a tributary of Pomparippu Aru. What makes this tree interesting is that less than 50 metres away from this behemoth is a much younger Baobab that earns these two trees the appellation “mother and child”.
This phenomenon could well be a natural reproduction in process - a process that both excites and challenges us - amateur botanists.
Kala Oya was identified as the main source of water hydrating this area– its waters flowed through onto Uttu Madu Aru. The eastward tributary of Uttu Madu Aru connects with Paan Ela whilst the western tributary flows into Pomparippu Aru. It is along Pomparippu Aru that we found Kumburak Pittaniya and Sri Lanka's largest Baobab Tree.
But how much longer this gigantic tree will stand is anyone’s guess. As the photographs testify - an ever changing and naturally eroding landscape and its deleterious impact on the Baobab's wellbeing is but one cause for concern.
Does this tree at Gangewadiya basin need help? To our interested amateur eye it certainly is the case.
Hopefully responsible corporates will step in to combine resources with IUCN, partnering scientific research departments such as the Botany Departments at the University of Colombo and or Peradeniya to secure this lesser known botanical heritage of ours. |
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