Here at Global Medical, we get a lot of photos of these gnarled, gothic-looking trees called Boabs.
In fact, I hear so much about them from our Australian locum doctors that my curiosity got the better of me, so I set out to learn more about the peculiar perennials.
As you can see, a mature Boab tree is truly a sight to behold. Sometimes called the Bottle tree (because of its unusual broad base), Aussies prefer the term Boab. But no matter what name you use, you'll only find Boabs in the Kimberly region of Western Oz. From the remote town of Kununurra all the way to the balmy town of Broome (a nearly 1000 kilometer or 621 mile 4-Wheel Drive excursion), Boabs are a darker, quirkier sight than you'll find in any Tim Burton film.
It's true, Boabs are nothing short of otherworldly giants. They look exceptionally tall, and at 15 meters or 50 feet high in a natural habitat that's mostly low-growing bush plants, Boabs are behemoth. They're also a very slow growing tree. In fact, they also take hundreds, and often thousands of years to grow, making Boabs among the oldest living things not only in Australia, but on earth.
One burning question that seems to be unanswered is how the Boab, a species once only found in Madagascar and Africa, got to Australia in the first place. One theory says the seeds floated from Africa; the other suggests the trees may well have survived the 65 million years since Africa and Australia still made up one continent.
No two of these conspicuous and odd-looking trees are alike. Aboriginals and explorers have used Boabs as landmarks and meeting places for centuries - not hard to see why. Native Aboriginals have also long used the giants as shelter, food and medicine, while white settlers used the Boabs as impromptu prison cells! Yes, with its immense hollow trunk, the tree made for a convenient police lock-up. In fact, one now-famous Prison Boab outside of Derby is a popular tourist spot.
Speaking of lock-ups, don't mess with Boabs in the wild - they're a protected species and you are not allowed to even gather the seeds. However, the trees are now grown commercially in Kimberly, where the Boab is an icon. Sold as a gourmet food, it's not the nuts or leaves of the Boab that get all the attention, but the roots that are fodder for foodies (although I hear the young leaves make a nice salad). I'm told visitors should try Paddy's Market in Kununurra on Saturday mornings during the dry season (April to September), where growers offer free "tasters" and sell all kinds of Boab delicacies. Then there's Peter Fox and Denise Hales of Boabs
in the Kimberly, who now have a recipe book and a website where you can buy Boab products. They even the sell the trees! Alas, they don't export to the U.S., so I'm waiting for one of our fine Aussie locums to bring some pickled Boab or Dark Chocolate Boab fudge over. Still, you can check out their website here. And I expect to hear about your own Boab tasters right here soon.
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