Baobab

What it brings

A dry, ample woody presence.

Origins and uses

The African baobab, Adansonia digitata, is the emblematic tree of the dry savannas of tropical Africa, from the Sahel to South Africa. It can reach 25 metres in height, with a trunk 5 to 7 metres across whose soft, water-filled wood acts as a reserve during the dry season. Some specimens are said to be over 2,000 years old. Its fruit, "monkey bread", gives a pulp rich in vitamin C, and the tree, often sacred, is nicknamed the "tree of life".

The baobab provides no wood essence for perfumery: its note is an evocation imagined by the perfumer. It seeks to convey the dry power of its massive bark and the hot air of the savanna, and pairs with woods and spices.

In our catalogue, baobab is at the centre of Cri du Kalahari by Ella K Parfums, surrounded by green pepper, orris, cedarwood, sandalwood and patchouli.