India GO
Tree · Adansonia digitata
African baobab
गोरख इमली (gorakh imli)
IUCN LC · Least concern
A colossal bottle-trunked tree with thin twisting branches, brought to the west coast of India by Arab and African traders centuries ago.
How to recognise it
A trunk far too wide for the crown above it, smooth and grey, often leafless. Leaves appear only in the monsoon.
Where to see it
Mumbai
Baobabs are not native to India. The ones in Mumbai and along the Konkan coast mark centuries of Indian Ocean trade, and their sour fruit pulp is still sold under the name gorakh imli.
Rani Baug (often) · Elephanta Caves (in season)