Abstract:
The article discloses the main results of our new investigation
of Platland tree, a.k.a. Sunland baobab, the largest known African baobab.
Our recent research was motivated by the three successive splits of 2016
and 2017, which determined the collapse and demise of the stems that have
built the main unit of the tree. According to our new findings concerning the
architecture of large and old baobabs, we established that Platland tree has
a double closed-ring shaped structure and consists of two units/rings that
close two separate false cavities. The larger unit was composed of five fused
stems, out of which four toppled and died, while the fifth stem is already
broken. The smaller unit, which is still standing, consists of three fused
stems. We also determined that the larger unit had an age of 800 yr, while
the smaller unit is 1100 yr old.
