African Baobab
TAKE A CLOSER LOOK
| Author: | Rupert Watson |
|---|
| ISBN: | 9781775848691 | |
|---|---|---|
| Format: | Softcover | |
| Price: | R340.00.00 | |
| Release Date: | 2024-03-22 |
R340.00
Baobab trees are living monuments, the oldest natural things in Africa, outlasting every plant and animal around them. Surviving in some of the driest, rockiest areas of this continent, paradoxically they live longer and grow larger than most other trees in the world.
In this absorbing and inspired new edition of The African Baobab, author Rupert Watson explores the life and times of this fascinating tree, from its early Madagascan beginnings to its present status on the continent and its future in a changing Africa. It is a compelling read on an African icon that has intrigued travelers for hundreds of years.
The narrative effortlessly blends natural science, history and personal observations, sometimes drawing on extracts from the journals of early explorers. There are intriguing accounts of the baobab’s eccentric growth and reproductive habits, its present-day distribution, and its wide impact on everyday African life. Watson also takes a close look at the relationship between humans and baobabs, and the tree’s myriad uses over the ages, from shelters to medicinal and spiritual applications.
Aimed at naturalists, environmentalists, botanical enthusiasts, travellers, and anyone awed by the wonders of plants, this book cannot but inspire.
In stock
Related products
-
First Field Guide: Wild Flowers of South Africa
R130.00Sasol First Field Guide to Wild Flowers of Southern Africa provides fascinating insight into the wild flowers of the region. With the help of full-colour photo graphs and easy-to-read text, the beginner and budding naturalist will be able to identify the more common wild flowers that grow in southern Africa, discover where they are found, and learn about their unique features.
-
Identifiseer die Bome van Suider-Afrika (NE)
R400.00‘n Regstreekse, voor die hand liggende en effektiewe gids tot boom-identifikasie.
Dié boek se titel sê dit alles! Hierdie bygewerkte tweede uitgawe verskaf ‘n duidelike uiteensetting van hoe bome saamgestel is en waarna om op te let wanneer ‘n boom geïdentifiseer word. Die boek bestaan uit twee dele:
Deel 1 beskryf en illustreer duidelik die verskillende dele van ‘n boom en hul rol in boomidentifikasie.
Deel 2 bevat ‘n sleutel tot 43 boomgroepe, gebaseer op maklik waarneembare stingel- en blaarkenmerke. Dit gee ‘n duidelike oorsig van elke groep, sowel as die Suider-Afrikaanse boomfamilies wat in die onderskeie groepe verteenwoordig word. Talle kleurfoto’s en verduidelikende illustrasies ondersteun die teks wat dié handleiding toeganklik en gebruikersvriendelik maak.Identifiseer die Bome van Suider-Afrika sal lesers toerus met ‘n goeie begrip van die bou van bome en waarna hulle moet oplet om dit korrek te kan identifiseer.
-
Field Guide to Succulents of Southern Africa
R450.00Southern Africa is the natural home of the richest and most diverse succulent flora in the world. These plants come in all shapes and sizes, from trees such as the baobab at more than 20 m tall, to miniature soil huggers, just a few millimetres high, which mimic their pebble-desert surroundings. This user-friendly, richly illustrated field guide features more than 700 southern African succulents, focusing on the most interesting and commonly encountered species. An introduction to families and their key features will help readers identify the relevant plant group, while concise accounts describing the plants’ diagnostic features, along with distribution maps, will enable quick ID of species. More than just an ID guide for plant lovers, this book will inspire gardeners who are turning to indigenous, low-maintenance and water-wise plants for cultivation.
-
First Field Guide: Trees of Southern Africa
R130.00These natural history guides have been developed to encourage young people and anyone with a budding interest in natural history to learn about the wonders of southern Africa’s fascinating fauna and flora. They are an invaluable resource for the beginner, providing information at a glance: each of the species presented is described in easy-to-read text, with a photograph and distribution map. A short introduction gives context to the topic.
-
Wild Flowers of Namaqualand
R610.00Namaqualand is justifiably famous for the floral wonderland it becomes in spring, when seas of bright flowers carpet the land. Astonishingly, the carpet comprises some 3,800 species, of which 28% are endemic.
This book introduces nearly 600 species, highlighting those most commonly found, most conspicuous, spectacular or interesting, as well as endemics. An introduction touches on the species selection for the book, the climatic and topographical subregions within Namaqualand, plant names and uses, and conservation issues.
The concise species descriptions also give seed and fruit details, uses, local growing conditions and flowering times, along with beautiful full-colour photographs. This is a must-have guide for visitors to Namaqualand, or for anyone interested in the wild flowers of southern Africa.
-
Grasses of East Africa
R400.00Grasses of East Africa describes 100 species of common, ecologically important or remarkable grasses found in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi. Grasses comprise one of the largest plant families on Earth, but are possibly the most overlooked. Yet it is these ubiquitous and important plants that have the greatest impact on our daily lives – providing a wide range of staple foods for humans globally, a fundamental source of grazing for livestock, and food and shelter for an infinite variety of wildlife.
-
Burchell’s African Odyssey
R470.00The English naturalist William Burchell set from Cape Town in June 1811 to explore the flora and fauna of the vast southern African interior. Over a four-year period, and travelling in a custom-built ox wagon, he amassed an astonishing 63 000 specimens of plants, bulbs, insects, reptiles and mammals – many not previously documented for science – and produced more than 500 paintings and illustrations. While the outbound trek is well described in Burchell’s famous Travels in the Interior of Southern Africa, the challenges
and discoveries made on his return journey to Cape Town, from 1812-1815 have not been described. In Burchell’s African Odyssey, authors Roger Stewart and Marion Whitehead embark on a similarly daunting task – to reveal the homeward leg of
Burchell’s epic trek from the southern Kalahari via the Karoo and southern coastal belt back to Cape Town. Drawing on primary and secondary sources, including Burchell’s letters, his handwritten records archived at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and the detailed
map he created to record his trek, the authors have crafted a thought-provoking and beautifully illustrated account that encompasses both the genius of the man and the natural history of the region that so intrigued him. -
First Field Guide: Succulents of Southern Africa
R130.00This series of natural history field guides has been developed in the hope that young people and anyone with a budding interest in natural history will take up the challenge to learn the secrets of southern Africa’s fascinating fauna and flora. These little guides are an invaluable resource for the beginner, providing information at a glance through superb photographs, maps, and easy-to-read text.




























Be the first to review “African Baobab”
You must be logged in to post a review.