SKU: 4791021971
planting baobab seeds

planting baobab seeds Crucian Baobab

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Description

planting baobab seeds Crucian BaobabAdansonia digitata Origin: St. Croix, US Virgin Islands Improvement status: Wild Seeds per packet: 6 BOTANICAL SAMPLE NOT GERMINATION TESTED Life cycle: Perennial It's no exaggeration to say that humanity was born in the shade of a baobab tree. No doubt our ancestors enjoyed the bounty of the iconic baobab long before we humans even evolved. In the hot sun of the African savannah, the singularly wide trunk of the baobab offers the best shade around,

Adansonia digitata

Origin: St. Croix, US Virgin Islands

Improvement status: Wild

Seeds per packet: 6

BOTANICAL SAMPLE - NOT GERMINATION TESTED

Life cycle: Perennial

It's no exaggeration to say that humanity was born in the shade of a baobab tree. No doubt our ancestors enjoyed the bounty of the iconic baobab long before we humans even evolved. In the hot sun of the African savannah, the singularly wide trunk of the baobab offers the best shade around, the large fruits and edible leaves offer important nutrition and medicine too, while the very presence of a baobab tree is an indication of groundwater in the area (the trees can retain thousands of gallons of water themselves, which people can tap in a pinch). Baobab trees are the stuff of legend, laden with cultural meaning and power. And the existence of the tree that produced these special seeds provides living proof of their importance.

These seeds come from one of a handful of African baobab trees that can be found growing on the island of St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands, an ocean away from their native land. There's little doubt these trees were born from seeds smuggled to the island by enslaved people tortuously brought there to work the sugarcane fields from the 1600s to the 1800s. Oral tradition tells us that people braided various seeds into their hair, and in so doing introduced important African crops like okra, watermelons, and black-eyed peas to the Americas. Baobabs found in St. Croix a dry, savannah-like habitat where they have been able to thrive for some 250 years or more.

One particularly impressive tree (not the source of these seeds) is called the Grove Place Baobab, in St. Croix's second-largest city, Frederiksted. Local tradition holds that it was planted by an African prince thanks to the advice of a wise man back in Africa. Chip Engelhard of the News of St. Croix recounts the story: "The wise man told the prince, 'every night when you sleep, put a baobab seed in your mouth.' Not long after, the prince was kidnapped and sold into slavery. He kept the seed with him through all the trials and hardships of the MIddle Passage before landing on St. Croix. When he arrived, to spend the rest of his life on St. Croix, he planted that seed and tended it carefully until it grew tall and strong. And that his how the baobab came to St. Croix." The Grove Place Baobab has long been an important symbol for Crucian people. It's said that twelve women, followers of the rebel leader Queen Mary Thomas, were burned alive beneath the tree in the aftermath of 1878's Fireburn labor rights. In the 20th century, labor leader D. Hamilton Jackson gave speeches defending workers' rights in the shade of the tree. Locals say people have taken shelter inside the tree's hollow trunk, and one woman is said to have given birth inside the tree. Located at 194 Grove Place, visitors to St. Croix can still meet this amazing being themselves.

Also called "monkey bread tree" (or, more colorfully, "dead rat tree", after the appearance of the hanging fruit), baobabs are perhaps the largest member of the Malvaceae or mallow family, which also includes okra, hibiscus, kenaf, and marshmallow. It's unlikely to survive year-round outdoors in most of the continental US, with the exceptions of south Florida, south Texas, and California, but it can be grown in a container and brought outside during the frost-free months. Baobabs drop their leaves and go dormant in the winter. EFN co-founder Nate Kleinman kept one alive in a pot for 5 years, after his old friend Eliot Ballard gave him a few seeds. That tree had a prominent place in the "Philadelphia Assembled" exhibition at the Philadelphia Museum of Art in 2017 (see photo), as a symbol of resistance and fortitude. These seeds were collected on St. Croix by Nate and Eliot in the spring of 2023.

In support of their inspiring work organizing small farmers in St. Croix, EFN will donate 50% of the proceeds of these seeds to Yvette and Dale Brown of Sejah Farms in St. Croix. Here is an article explaining some of their great work.

NOTE: The last two photos here show baobab trees in Africa, the first in Mali (showing Dogon people gathered beneath the tree), the second an enormous tree in Zimbabwe. The other photos all show the tree in St. Croix, its fruit, or a seedling from it (in the Philadelphia Assembled exhibition at the Museum of Art).

GROWING TIPS: Baobab seeds require no special treatment, but might benefit from being soaked for a day before planting. In our experience, seeds germinate irregularly, some as soon as a few weeks after planting, and some after a few months. Water intermittently.

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SKU: 4791021971

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★★★★★ 5
Excellent value for an automatic watch, keeps VERY good time.
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I've only had the watch for a day but wanted to leave a quick review on it to share a couple of notes. So far it keeps VERY good time, better than any of the automatics I own (including a Rolex Submariner, Tag Heuer Aquaracer, Tag Heuer Formula One, and several other sub $1k watches). I set it to an atomic time app on my phone yesterday and 24 hours later it's still SPOT on - hasn't gained/lost even a 1/10 of a second. I was shocked to see it's kept PERFECT time for the last day, I'm really blown away so far. I've worn it the entire time, we'll see how well it keeps time while being stored in a winder. This picture shown is the watch with a 22mm leather band on it, fit's without any issues (just need to squeeze in the leather a tad). I doubt it would work with a 22mm metal bracelet, but leather works great. Just FYI since the 21mm lug width is kind of odd. The face isn't quite a lustrious as the images make it look, but it's still a great-looking watch. For a sub $1000 automatic you can't go wrong, this is a fantastic watch at a great price. It'll be my daily driver for some time I'm sure. If I have any issues in the future I'll update the review.
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Reviewed in the United States on March 22, 2021
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Beniamin Grigoryan
Dallas, US
★★★★★ 5
It looks really cool and striking.
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Really cool and beautiful watch. Although my specific unit runs 5 seconds fast every day—at first it’s annoying, but eventually you stop caring. 🤣
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Reviewed in the United States on April 16, 2026
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Paul Andreini
Chelsea, US
★★★★★ 5
A Beautiful Timepiece at an Awesome Price!!
Color: Grey, Color: Grey
I have lusted after this watch for four months. I first tried on a similar model (stainless steel band with a green face) in a local jewelry shop (Spitz Jewlers, Walnut Creek, CA, USA). It was "love at first sight," even if I didn't love the white lines on the face from 12-6 and 3-9. At the time, the MSRP was $775. The MSRP has since increased to $795. But I bought this beauty on Amazon.com for only $524.99; after applying the cash-back from my Prime credit card, this watch costs only $498.75. This was "the offer that I could not refuse," to quote from "The Godfather." Accuracy could be better: after only a few days, it is now 7 seconds behind my phone (to which I set my new watch). But I don't really care about that all that much. This is why I rated "accuracy" at 4 stars, but my overall review is 5 stars. My video shows the date changing suddenly at 11:59:59pm, just how I want it; in another photo, you can see that my Seiko changes the date more slowly, which I do not like. This watch is absolutely phenomenally beautiful. If you're on the fence over whether to make this purchase, then I would say "go for it!" You will not find a prettier, more accurate watch at a lower price in ANY store in the entire USA.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 28, 2023
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pradeepkanth
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★★★★★ 4
Classy and sporty. Great value!
Color: Grey, Color: Grey
Excellent watch for the price. Looks sporty and dressy. More towards dress watch. Blue is dynamic. Strongly recommend blue for sporty feel. I was thinking of aqua terra. This come close to it with a price less than what i would have paid my state tax for omega aqua terra. My only concern is bracelet which i feel kind of OK. Better bracelet design would have made this watch much superior. 21 lug width is awful. Other than that, nothing to complain.
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Reviewed in the United States on July 13, 2020
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Grantham, US
★★★★★ 5
Stunning Gentleman's Watch
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