The boab tree, Kimberley region, Western Australia

© plainpicture/Cultura

The boab tree, Kimberley region, Western Australia

There is much mythology surrounding the Australian boab tree, known for its large, swollen trunk. Other names for it in Australia include ‘bottle tree’, ‘upside down tree’ and ‘gouty stem tree’. All seem appropriate to us. Some indigenous communities relied on the trees for water (stored in its massive trunk), food and medicine. One of the most famous boabs is located south of Derby, Western Australia. Stories that the hollowed-out trunk of the ‘Boab Prison Tree’ was once used to hold prisoners have been debunked, but the 1,500-year-old tree remains a tourist attraction nonetheless.