| Coordinates (approx.): | 22.50019 S 30.63312 E |
| No: | 11 (list of all attractions) |
| Category: | Trees |
| Values: | Biology |
| Rank: | 4 |
| Address: | Africa, South Africa, Limpopo Province, Vendaland, east from Tshipise |
| Alternate name: | Sagole Big Tree, Muri Kunguluwa, Muvhuyu wa Makhadzi |
| Species: | Baobab (Adansonia digitata L.) |
| Height: | 22 m |
| Diameter: | 10.47 m |
| Crown diameter: | 38.2 m |
The Champion tree of South Africa is Sagole Baobab. This really means something – in South Africa there are some of the stoutest trees of the world.
This giant tree is not the stoutest in the country. There are at least two baobabs with larger trunk diameters – Glencoe Baobab with the incredible diameter of 15.9 metres (unfortunately this tree split into two parts in November 2009) and Sunland Baobab with 10.64 m diameter. But the Sagole tree is the largest one in overall appearance and possibly – the largest one in trunk volume. Tree unites amazing trunk size with a circumference of approximately 32.8 meters (3.) with the significant height of 22 metres.
Rather close to the ground the enormous tree divides into several trunks but it keeps the appearance of a single tree.
Age of Sagole baobab has not been scientifically proven but most likely it well exceeds 1,000 years.
Venda people named the tree: muri kunguluwa – the tree that roars. This name comes from the sound of wind blowing through its branches (4.).
Tree got another special value – it serves as a home for the colony of African birds – mottled spinetails (Telacanthura ussheri Sharpe) which don’t create colonies that often (5).
This beautiful monument of nature is well known to curious travellers and Limpopo province is planning (or hopefully has done it already) to develop basic tourist facilities including an asphalted road up to the tree and possibly a boardwalk around the tree to avoid the trampling. Such boardwalks are advised as the feet of tourists compact the soil preventing the water from inflitrating the soil and thus unnecessarily weakening the Sagole Baobab (1).
Map
See this monument on the map of South Africa!
References
- Siyabona Africa Travel, Kruger national park accomodation and safari guide. Accessed: 20th January 2010
- Venerable Trees by Jérôme Hutin. Accessed: 20th January 2010
- List of champion trees published for comment. South African Department of Water Affairs and Forestry, 2005
- Gerald E. Wickens, Pat Lowe. The baobabs: pachycauls of Africa, Madagascar and Australia. 2008. ISBN: 978-1-4020-6430-2
- Notice on declaration of particular trees and particular group of trees Champion Trees under section 12(1)a and (b) of the National Forests Act, 1998 (Act No.84 of 1998), as amended., Staatskoerant, 6 Dec 2006. Accessed: 20th January 2010
20 January 2010 Gatis Pāvils