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{{short description|Genus of plants known as baobab}}
{{Redirect|Baobab}}
{{for|the most common use of "Baobab"|Adansonia digitata}}
{{Taxobox
{{redirect-multi|2|Baobab|Upside-down tree|the tree in Hyde Park|Fagus sylvatica#Cultivation|other use|Baobab (disambiguation)}}
|image = Baobab Adansonia digitata.jpg
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}
|image_width = 275px
{{Automatic taxobox
|image_caption = African Baobab (''[[Adansonia digitata]]'') tree in [[Bagamoyo]], [[Tanzania]], near the [[Kaole|Kaole ruins]]
| image = Baobab Adansonia digitata.jpg
|regnum = [[Plant]]ae
| image_caption = ''[[Adansonia digitata]]'' in [[Tanzania]]
|classification [[]]= [[Flowering plant|Angiosperms]]
| taxon = Adansonia
|classification based on the number of cotyledons= [[Eudicots]]
| authority = [[Carl Linnaeus|L.]]<ref name="GRIN">{{cite web |url=http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/genus.pl?167 |title=Genus: ''Adansonia'' L. |work=Germplasm Resources Information Network |publisher=United States Department of Agriculture |date=12 November 2008 |access-date=14 January 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100530033642/http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/genus.pl?167 |archive-date=30 May 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
|unranked_ordo = [[Rosids]]
| subdivision_ranks = Species
|ordo = [[Malvales]]
| subdivision = See [[#Species|species section]]
|familia = [[Malvaceae]]
|subfamilia = [[Bombacoideae]]
|genus = '''''Adansonia'''''
|genus_authority = [[Carl Linnaeus|L.]]<ref name="GRIN">{{cite web |url=http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/genus.pl?167 |title=Genus: ''Adansonia'' L. |work=Germplasm Resources Information Network |publisher=United State Department of Agriculture |date=2008-11-12 |accessdate=2011-01-14}}</ref>
|subdivision_ranks = Species
|subdivision = See [[#Species|Species section]]
}}
}}
'''''Adansonia''''' is a genus of eight species of tree, six native to [[Madagascar]], one native to mainland [[Africa]] and the [[Arabian Peninsula]] and one to [[Australia]]. The mainland African species also occurs on Madagascar, but it is not a native of that island, and was introduced in ancient times to south Asia and during the colonial era to the Caribbean.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Wickens |first= GE|coauthors=Lowe P|title= The Baobabs: Pachycauls of Africa, Madagascar and Australia|year=2008|publisher= Springer Verlag|location=Berlin, Germany; New York, NY|isbn=978-1-4020-6430-2|oclc=166358049}}</ref> A ninth species was identified in 2012, incorporating upland populations of southern and eastern Africa.<ref name="kilima">{{cite journal|url=http://www.uq.edu.au/nuq/jack/Taxon%20new%20GPS.pdf|author=Pettigrew JD et al.|year=2012|title=Morphology, ploidy and molecular phylogenetics reveal a new diploid species from Africa in the baobab genus Adansonia (Malvaceae: Bombacoideae)|journal=Taxon|volume=61|pages=1240-1250|}}</ref>


'''''Adansonia''''' is a [[genus]] made up of eight [[species]] of medium-to-large [[deciduous]] trees known as '''baobabs''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|b|aʊ|b|æ|b}} or {{IPAc-en|ˈ|b|eɪ|oʊ|b|æ|b}}) or '''adansonias'''. They are placed in the [[Malvaceae]] family, subfamily [[Bombacoideae]]. They are native to [[Madagascar]], mainland Africa, and Australia.<ref name="Tropicos">Tropicos.org. Missouri Botanical Garden. 8 Jul 2020 http://www.tropicos.org {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110423043338/http://www.tropicos.org/ |date=23 April 2011}}</ref> The trees have also been introduced to other regions such as Asia.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thoughtco.com/fun-facts-about-the-baobab-tree-1454374|title=The Baobab: Fun Facts About Africa's Tree of Life|website=ThoughtCo}}</ref> A [[Whole genome sequencing|genomic]] and [[Ecology|ecological]] analysis has suggested that the genus is Madagascan in origin.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Wan |first1=Jun-Nan |last2=Wang |first2=Sheng-Wei |last3=Leitch |first3=Andrew R. |last4=Leitch |first4=Ilia J. |last5=Jian |first5=Jian-Bo |last6=Wu |first6=Zhang-Yan |last7=Xin |first7=Hai-Ping |last8=Rakotoarinivo |first8=Mijoro |last9=Onjalalaina |first9=Guy Eric |last10=Gituru |first10=Robert Wahiti |last11=Dai |first11=Can |last12=Mwachala |first12=Geoffrey |last13=Zhao |first13=Chen-Xi |last14=Wang |first14=Hong-Qi |last15=Du |first15=Sheng-Lan |last16=Wei |first16=Neng |last17=Hu |first17=Guang-Wan |last18=Chen |first18=Si-Chong |last19=Chen |first19=Xiao-Ya |last20=Wan |first20=Tao |last21=Wang |first21=Qing-Feng |display-authors=5 |name-list-style=amp |date=2024 |title=The rise of baobab trees in Madagascar |url=https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07447-4#citeas |journal=[[Nature (journal)|Nature]] |doi=10.1038/s41586-024-07447-4 |doi-access=free|pmc=11136661 }}</ref>
A typical common name is '''baobab'''. Other common names include '''boab''', '''boaboa''', '''tabaldi''', '''bottle tree''', '''upside-down tree''', and '''monkey bread tree'''. The generic name honours [[Michel Adanson]], the French naturalist and explorer who described ''Adansonia digitata''.


The [[Generic name (biology)|generic name]] honours [[Michel Adanson]], the French naturalist and explorer who described ''[[Adansonia digitata]]''.<ref name="Eggli Newton 2004">{{cite book |last1=Eggli |first1=U. |last2=Newton |first2=L.E. |title=Etymological Dictionary of Succulent Plant Names |publisher=Springer Berlin Heidelberg |year=2004 |isbn=978-3-540-00489-9 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=u2n5vusQ1DEC&pg=PA3 |page=3 |access-date=25 September 2018 |archive-date=1 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200301043920/https://books.google.com/books?id=u2n5vusQ1DEC&pg=PA3 |url-status=live}}</ref> The baobab is also known as the "upside down tree", a name that originates from several myths.<ref name="wickens2008">{{cite book |last1=Wickens |first1=G.E. |last2=Lowe |first2=P. |title=The Baobabs: Pachycauls of Africa, Madagascar and Australia |year=2008 |publisher=Springer Verlag |isbn=978-1-4020-6430-2 |oclc=166358049 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Vu9ZX3NWPYIC}}</ref> They are among the most long-lived of [[vascular plant]]s<ref name="Patrut2018">{{cite journal |vauthors=Patrut A, Woodborne S, Patrut RT, Rakosy L, Lowy DA, Hall G, von Reden KF |title=The demise of the largest and oldest African baobabs |journal=Nature Plants |volume=4 |issue=7 |pages=423–426 |date=July 2018 |pmid=29892092 |doi=10.1038/s41477-018-0170-5 |url=https://www.nature.com/articles/s41477-018-0170-5|hdl=2263/65292 |s2cid=47017569 |hdl-access=free }}</ref> and have large flowers that are reproductive for a maximum of 15 hours.<ref name="Baum">{{Cite journal |last=Baum |first=David A. |date=1995 |title=A Systematic Revision of Adansonia (Bombacaceae) |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/2399893 |journal=Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden |volume=82 |issue=3 |pages=440–471 |doi=10.2307/2399893 |jstor=2399893 |issn=0026-6493}}</ref> The flowers open around dusk, opening so quickly that movement can be detected by the naked eye, and are faded by the next morning.<ref name="Baum"/> The fruits are large, oval to round and berry-like and hold kidney-shaped seeds in a dry, pulpy matrix.
Adansonias reach heights of {{convert|5|to|30|m|ft|abbr=on}} and have trunk diameters of {{convert|7|to|11|m|ft|abbr=on}}. [[Glencoe Baobab|Glencoe baobab]] – an [[Adansonia digitata|African baobab]] specimen in [[Limpopo Province]], [[South Africa]], often considered the largest example alive – up to recent times had a [[circumference]] of {{convert|47|m|ft|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bigbaobab.co.za/baobab.html |title=Big Baobab Facts|accessdate = 2008-01-08| archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20080106151314/http://www.bigbaobab.co.za/baobab.html| archivedate= 6 January 2008 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}</ref> Its diameter is estimated at about {{convert|15.9|m|ft|abbr=on}}. Recently the tree split up into two parts and it is possible that the stoutest tree now is [[Sunland Baobab|Sunland baobab]], also in South Africa. The diameter of this tree is {{convert|10.64|m|ft|abbr=on}}, with an approximate circumference of {{convert|33.4|m|ft|abbr=on}}.{{citation needed|date=September 2012}}


In the early 21st century, baobabs in southern Africa began to die off rapidly from a cause yet to be determined. It is unlikely that disease or pests would be able to kill many trees so rapidly, and some have speculated that the die-off is a result of [[dehydration]].<ref name="yong">{{cite web |last=Yong |first=Ed |title=Trees That Have Lived for Millennia Are Suddenly Dying |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/06/baobab-trees-dying-climate-change/562499/?single_page=true |url-status=live |publisher=The Atlantic |date=11 June 2018 |access-date=12 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210209012032/https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/06/baobab-trees-dying-climate-change/562499/?single_page=true |archive-date=9 February 2021}}</ref><ref name="nyt">{{cite news |last=Nuwer |first=Rachel |author-link=Rachel Nuwer |title=Last March of the 'Wooden Elephants': Africa's Ancient Baobabs Are Dying |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/12/science/baobabs-climate-change-drought.html |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=12 June 2018}}</ref>
Some baobabs are reputed to be many thousands of years old, which is difficult to verify, as the [[wood]] does not produce annual [[growth ring]]s, though [[radiocarbon dating]] may be able to provide age data.{{citation needed|date=September 2012}}


==Occurrence==
==Description==
[[File:Baobab tree with fruits at Mikumi National Park.jpg|thumb|''Adansonia digitata'' (African baobab) tree in Mikumi National Park with its fruits hanging]]
The Malagasy species are important components of the [[Madagascar dry deciduous forests]]. Within that [[biome]], ''Adansonia madagascariensis'' and ''Adansonia rubrostipa'' occur specifically in the [[Anjajavy Forest]], sometimes growing out of the [[Karst topography|tsingy]] [[limestone]] itself.
Baobabs are long-lived deciduous, small to large trees from {{cvt|5|to|30|m|ft|-1}} tall<ref name="Baum"/> with broad trunks and compact crowns. Young trees usually have slender, tapering trunks, often with a swollen base. Mature trees have massive trunks that are bottle-shaped or cylindrical and tapered from bottom to top.<ref name="Baum"/> The trunk is made of fibrous wood arranged in concentric rings, although rings are not always formed annually and so cannot be used to determine the age of individual trees.<ref>{{cite web|author=Kornei K|date=2021|title=Scientists determine the age of one of Africa's most famous trees|publisher=Science|url=https://www.science.org/content/article/scientists-determine-age-one-africa-s-most-famous-trees}}</ref> Tree diameter fluctuates with rainfall so it is thought that water may be stored in the trunk.<ref name="Baum"/> Baobab trees have two types of shoots—long, green vegetative ones, and stout, woody reproductive ones. Branches can be massive and spread out horizontally from the trunk or are ascending.


''Adansonia gregorii'' is generally the smallest of the baobabs, rarely getting to over {{cvt|10|m|ft}} tall and often with multiple trunks.<ref name="Baum"/> Both ''A. rubrostipa'' and ''A. madagascariensis'' are small to large trees, from {{cvt|5|to|20|m|ft}} tall.<ref name="Baum"/> The other baobabs grow from {{cvt|25|to|30|m|ft|-1}} tall, with {{cvt|2|to|3|m|ft|0}} diameter trunks. ''A. digitata'', however, often has massive single or multiple trunks of up to {{cvt|10|m|ft}} diameter.<ref name="Baum"/>
''Adansonia digitata'' has bee growing in salt plains and by the sea, so may be a [[halophyte]] (salt tolerant).<ref>http://www.arkive.org/baobab/adansonia-digitata/image-G50349.html – Baobab growing in a salt plain (access date 2010-07-19)</ref><ref>http://www.mail-archive.com/indiantreepix&#64;googlegroups.com/msg08234.html – Baobabs growing close to the sea (access date 2010-07-19)</ref>


==Species==
===Leaves===
Leaves are [[palmate]]ly compound in mature trees, but seedlings and regenerating shoots may have simple leaves. The transition to compound leaves comes with age and may be gradual. Leaves have 5–11 leaflets, with the largest ones in the middle and may be stalkless or with short [[petiole (botany)|petiole]]s. Leaflets may have toothed or smooth edges, and may be hairless or have simple-to-clumped hairs. Baobabs have [[stipules]] at the base of the leaves, but the stipules are soon shed in most species. Baobabs are deciduous, shedding leaves during the dry season.<ref name="Baum"/>
[[File:Adansonia digitata (Baobab)- young tree in Hyderabad W IMG 8273.jpg|thumb|190px|Young ''[[Adansonia digitata]]'' tree in [[Hyderabad, India]]]]
* ''[[Adansonia digitata]]'' <small>[[Carl Linnaeus|L.]]</small> &ndash; African Baobab (western, northeastern, central & southern [[Africa]], and in [[Oman]] and [[Yemen]] in the [[Arabian Peninsula]], [[Asia]])
* ''[[Adansonia grandidieri]]'' <small>[[Henri Ernest Baillon|Baill.]]</small> &ndash; Grandidier's Baobab ([[Madagascar]])
* ''[[Adansonia gregorii]]'' <small>[[Ferdinand von Mueller|F.Muell.]]</small> (syn. ''Adansonia gibbosa'') – Boab or Australian Baobab (northwest Australia)
* ''[[Adansonia kilima]]'' <small>Pettigrew et al.</small> &ndash; montane African baboab (eastern & southern Africa)<ref name="kilima" />
* ''[[Adansonia madagascariensis]]'' <small>Baill.</small> &ndash; Madagascar Baobab (Madagascar)
* ''[[Adansonia perrieri]]'' <small>[[René Paul Raymond Capuron|Capuron]]</small> &ndash; Perrier's Baobab (North Madagascar)
* ''[[Adansonia rubrostipa]]'' <small>[[Henri Lucien Jumelle|Jum.]] & [[Joseph Marie Henry Alfred Perrier de la Bâthie|H.Perrier]]</small> (syn. ''Adansonia fony'') – Fony Baobab (Madagascar)
* ''[[Adansonia suarezensis]]'' <small>H.Perrier</small> &ndash; Suarez Baobab (Diego Suarez, Madagascar)
* ''[[Adansonia za]]'' <small>Baill.</small> &ndash; Za Baobab (Madagascar)<ref name="GRINSpecies">{{cite web |url=http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/splist.pl?167 |title=GRIN Species Records of ''Adansonia'' |work=Germplasm Resources Information Network |publisher=United State Department of Agriculture |accessdate=2011-01-14}}</ref>


===Flowers===
[[File:Adansonia digitata 0013.jpg|thumb|left|Open flower showing distorted petals and the unfused ball of stamens set on top of the staminal tube]]
[[File:Adansonia digitata MS 6682-2.JPG|thumb|Bisected flower showing the style running through the staminal tube, bending, then projecting out of the stamens]]
In most ''Adansonia'' species, the flowers are borne on short erect or spreading stalks in the axils of the leaves near the tips of reproductive shoots. Only ''A. digitata'' has flowers and fruits set on long, hanging stalks. There is usually only a single flower in an axil, but sometimes flowers occur in pairs. They are large, showy and strongly scented. They only open near dusk. Opening is rapid and movement of the flower parts is fast enough to be visible. Most ''Adansonia'' species are pollinated by bats.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Baum|first=David A.|date=1995|title=The Comparative Pollination and Floral Biology of Baobabs (Adansonia- Bombacaceae)|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/2399883|journal=Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden|volume=82|issue=2|pages=322–348|doi=10.2307/2399883|jstor=2399883|issn=0026-6493|access-date=21 October 2020|archive-date=9 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210209011946/https://www.jstor.org/stable/2399883|url-status=live}}</ref>


Flowers may remain attached to the trees for several days, but the reproductive phase is very short, with pollen shed during the first night and stigmas shriveled by the morning. The flower is made up of an outer 5-lobed calyx, and an inner ring of petals set around a fused tube of stamens.<ref name="Baum"/> The outer lobes of the calyx are usually green (brown in ''A. grandidieri'') and in bud are joined almost to the tip. As the flower opens, the calyx lobes split apart and become coiled or bent back (reflexed) at the base of the flower. The inner surface of the lobes are silky-hairy and cream, pink, or red.<ref name="Baum"/> Sometimes the lobes do not separate cleanly, distorting the shape of the flower as they bend back. The calyx lobes remain fused at the base, leaving a feature (calyx tube) that has nectar-producing tissue and that is cup-shaped, flat or tubular; the form of the calyx tube varies with species.<ref name="Baum"/> The flowers have a central tube (staminal tube) made up of fused stalks of stamens (filaments), with unfused filaments above. A densely hairy ovary is enclosed in the staminal tube, and a long style tipped with a stigma emerges from the filaments. Petals are set near the base of the staminal tube and are variable in shape and colour. The flowers, when fresh, may be white, cream, bright yellow or dark red, but fade quickly, often turning reddish when dried.<ref name="Baum"/>
==Water storage==
Baobabs store [[water]] in the trunk (up to {{convert|120000|l|usgal|disp=or}}) to endure the harsh drought conditions particular to each region.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Baobab tree in Senegal | url=http://www.senegal-online.com/anglais/parcs-faune-flore/baobab.htm|accessdate=2008-10-01| archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20081004233417/http://www.senegal-online.com/anglais/parcs-faune-flore/baobab.htm| archivedate= 4 October 2008 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}</ref> All occur in seasonally [[arid]] areas, and are [[deciduous]], shedding their [[leaf|leaves]] during the dry season.


==Uses==
===Fruit===
The fruit of the baobabs is one of their distinguishing features. It is large, oval-to-round, and berry-like in most species (usually less than {{convert|10|cm|in|1}} long in ''A. madagascariensis''.<ref name="Baum"/>). It has a dry, hard outer shell of variable thickness. In most species, the shell is indehiscent (does not break open easily). ''A. gibbosa'' is the only species with fruits that crack while still on the tree, which then tend to break open upon landing on the ground. Inside the outer shell, kidney-shaped seeds 10–15(−20) mm long are set in a dry pulp.<ref name="Baum"/>
[[Image:Adansonia grandidieri04.jpg|thumb|200px|right|''[[Adansonia grandidieri]]'', Madagascar]]
Since 2008, there has been increasing interest for developing baobab seeds or dried fruit powder for consumer products.<ref name=biov>{{Cite web|url=http://news.bioversityinternational.org/index.php?itemid=1166 |title=Scientists predict African fruit trees could help solve major public health problem|accessdate=2008-10-01|publisher=Bioversity International}}</ref><ref>Hills S. [http://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/Financial-Industry/Baobab-goes-for-GRAS-ahead-of-2010-World-Cup "Baobab goes for GRAS ahead of 2010 World Cup"] FoodNavigator.com-USA, September 30, 2008</ref> As of 2010, the potential international market was estimated at $1 billion per year.<ref name=natgeo/>


==Taxonomy==
The tree also provides a source of [[fiber crop|fiber]], [[dye]], and [[fuel]]. [[Indigenous Australians]] used baobabs as a source of water and food, leaves for [[traditional medicine]], and painted or carved fruits to be worn as ornaments.{{citation needed|date=March 2013}} A large, hollow baobab south of [[Derby, Western Australia]] was used in the 1890s as a prison for convicts on their way to Derby for sentencing. The [[Boab Prison Tree, Derby]] still stands and is now a tourist attraction. There is a [[Boab Prison Tree, Wyndham|similar tree]] near the Western Australian town of [[Wyndham, Western Australia|Wyndham]].{{citation needed|date=September 2012}}
The earliest written reports of baobab are from a 14th-century travelogue by the Arab traveler [[Ibn Battuta]].<ref name="Baum"/> The first botanical description was in the ''De medicina Aegyptiorum'' by [[Prospero Alpini]] (1592), looking at fruits that he observed in Egypt from an unknown source. They were called ''Bahobab'', possibly from the Arabic {{lang|ar|أَبُو حِبَاب}} ''abū ḥibāb''<!--cf. أب , Lexicon arabico-latinum (1830) pp. 6-9 and حب "bacca, granum", ibid. p. 300--> meaning "many-seeded fruit".<ref name="Baum"/> The French explorer and botanist [[Michel Adanson]] (1727–1806) observed a baobab tree in 1749 on the island of Sor in Senegal, and wrote the first detailed botanical description of the full tree, accompanied with illustrations. Recognizing the connection to the fruit described by Alpini he called the genus Baobab. [[Linnaeus]] later renamed the genus ''Adansonia'', to honour Adanson, but use of baobab as one of the common names has persisted.<ref name="Baum"/>


The [[genus]] ''Adansonia'' is in the subfamily [[Bombacoideae]], within the family [[Malvaceae]] in the order [[Malvales]]. The subfamily Bombacoideae was previously treated as the [[Bombacaceae]] family but it is no longer recognized at the rank of family by the [[Angiosperm Phylogeny Group]] I 1998, II 2003 or the [[Kubitzki system]] 2003. There are eight accepted [[species]] of ''Adansonia''. A new species (''Adansonia kilima'' Pettigrew, et al.), was described in 2012, found in high-elevation sites in eastern and southern Africa.<ref name="kilima">{{cite journal |last=Pettigrew |first=J.D. |display-authors=etal |title=Morphology, ploidy and molecular phylogenetics reveal a new diploid species from Africa in the baobab genus ''Adansonia'' (Malvaceae: Bombacoideae) |url=http://www.uq.edu.au/nuq/jack/Taxon%20new%20GPS.pdf |journal=Taxon |volume=61 |issue=6 |pages=1240–1250 |year=2012 |doi=10.1002/tax.616006 |access-date=29 April 2018 |archive-date=11 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131211185541/http://www.uq.edu.au/nuq/jack/Taxon%20new%20GPS.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> This, however, is no longer recognized as a distinct species<ref name="cron">Cron, Glynis & Karimi, Nisa & Glennon, Kelsey & Udeh, Chukwudi & Witkowski, E & Venter, Sarah & Assogbadio, A & Baum, David. (2016). "One African baobab species or two? A re-evaluation of Adansonia kilima". ''South African Journal of Botany''. 103. 312. 10.1016/j.sajb.2016.02.036.</ref> but considered a synonym of ''A. digitata''. Some high-elevation trees in Tanzania show different genetics and morphology, but further study is needed to determine if recognition of them as a separate species is warranted.<ref name="cron"/> The genus ''Adansonia'' is further divided into three sections. Section Adansonia includes only ''A. digitata''. This species has hanging flowers and fruit, set on long flowering stalks. This is the [[type species]] for the genus ''Adansonia''.<ref name="Baum"/> All species of ''Adansonia'' except ''A. digitata'' are [[diploid]]; ''A. digitata'' is [[tetraploid]].<ref name="kilima"/> Section Brevitubae includes ''A. grandidieri'' and ''A. suarexensis''. These are species with flower buds that set on short pedicles and that are approximately twice as long as wide. The other species are all classified within the section Longitubae. They also have flowers/fruits set on short pedicels, but the flower buds are five or more times as long as wide.{{cn|date=June 2023}}


==Species==
The leaves, eaten fresh or as a powder, are commonly used as a [[leaf vegetable]] or a soup ingredient in mainland Africa.{{citation needed|date=September 2012}}
[[File:Adansonia grandidieri04.jpg|thumb|upright|''[[Adansonia grandidieri]]'', [[Madagascar]]]]
{{As of|2020|07}}, there are eight recognized species of Adansonia, with six [[endemic]] to [[Madagascar]], one native to mainland Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, and one native to Australia. The mainland African species (''Adansonia digitata'') also occurs on Madagascar, but it is not a native of that island. Baobabs were introduced in ancient times to south Asia and during the colonial era to the Caribbean. They are also present in the island nation of [[Cape Verde]].<ref name="wickens2008" /> A ninth species was described in 2012 (''[[Adansonia kilima]]'' <small>Pettigrew, et al.</small>)<ref name="kilima" /> but is no longer recognized as a distinct species.<ref name="cron"/> The African and Australian baobabs are similar in appearance, and the oldest splits within ''Adansonia'' are likely no older than 15 million years; thus, the Australian species represents a long-distance trans-[[oceanic dispersal]] event from Africa.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Baum |first1=David A. |last2=Small |first2=Randall L. |last3=Wendel |first3=Jonathan F. |title=Biogeography and floral evolution of baobabs (''Adansonia, Bombacaceae'') as inferred from multiple data sets |journal=Syst Biol |year=1998 |volume=47 |issue=2 |pages=181–207 |pmid=12064226 |doi=10.1080/106351598260879 |doi-access=free}}</ref> The lineage leading to ''Adansonia'' was found to have diverged from its closest relatives in [[Bombacoideae]] like ''[[Ceiba]]'' /''[[Chorisia]]'' at the end of the Eocene, during a time of abrupt global climate cooling and drying, while a divergence of this ''Adansonia''+''[[Ceiba]]'' /''[[Chorisia]]'' clade from ''[[Pachira]]'' was found to be more ancient, dating to the middle Eocene.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Cvetković |first1=T |last2=Areces-Berazain |first2=F |last3=Hinsinger |first3=DD |last4=Thomas |first4=DC |last5=Wieringa |first5=JJ |last6=Ganesan |first6=SK |last7=Strijk |first7=JS |title= Phylogenomics resolves deep subfamilial relationships in Malvaceae |journal=G3 (Bethesda) |year=2021 |volume=11 |issue=7 |pages=jkab136 |doi=10.1093/g3journal/jkab136 |pmid=33892500 |pmc=8496235 |doi-access=free}}</ref>


{| class="wikitable"
===Fruit===
|+ List of species of ''Adansonia''<ref name="GRINSpecies">{{cite web |url=http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/splist.pl?167 |title=GRIN Species Records of ''Adansonia'' |work=Germplasm Resources Information Network |publisher=United States Department of Agriculture |access-date=14 January 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924095740/http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/splist.pl?167 |archive-date=24 September 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
[[Image:Baobab seeds.jpg|thumb|left|187px|The fruit is about 18 cm long]]
|-
[[Image:Adansonia grandidieri fruit.JPG|thumb|right|200px|Adansonia grandidieri fruit]]
!Image !!Species !! Common names !! Native range
|-
|[[File:Baobab and elephant, Tanzania.jpg|120px]]|| ''[[Adansonia digitata]]'' <small>[[Carl Linnaeus|L.]]</small> (also includes ''[[Adansonia kilima]]''<ref name="kilima" />)|| African baobab, dead-rat-tree, monkey-bread-tree, montane African baobab, Gongolaze|| western, northeastern, central and southern Africa, SW Asia (Yemen, Oman)<ref>Science, Kew. " https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:558628-1". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 19 February 2022.</ref>
|-
|[[File:Adansonia grandidieri04.jpg|120px]] ||''[[Adansonia grandidieri]]'' <small>[[Henri Ernest Baillon|Baill.]]</small>|| Grandidier's baobab, giant baobab|| west central Madagascar<ref name=iucn>{{cite iucn |author=Ravaomanalina, H. |author2=Razafimanahaka, J. |title=''Adansonia grandidieri'' |volume=2016 |page=e.T30388A64007143 |year=2016 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T30388A64007143.en}}</ref>
|-
|[[File:Boab tree in February, Kimberley region, Western Australia.jpg|120px]] ||''[[Adansonia gregorii]]'' <small>[[Ferdinand von Mueller|F.Muell.]]</small> (syn. ''A. gibbosa'') || boab, Australian baobab, bottletree, cream-of-tartar-tree, gouty-stem|| Australia (Northern Territory, Western Australia)<ref>Science, Kew. " https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:558631-1". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 19 February 2022.</ref>
|-
|[[File:Hatiyan ka Jhad ("Elephant-sized Tree"), This famous old Baobab located on the premises of Naya Qila 02.jpg|120px]] ||''[[Adansonia madagascariensis]]'' <small>Baill.</small>|| Madagascar baobab|| northwest and north Madagascar<ref name="Behrens">Behrens, K. and K. Barnes. 2016. Wildlife of Madagascar. Wild guides, [[Princeton University Press]].</ref>
|-
| [[File:Adansonia perrieri.jpg|frameless|160x160px]]||''[[Adansonia perrieri]]'' <small>[[René Paul Raymond Capuron|Capuron]]</small>|| Perrier's baobab|| northern Madagascar<ref name="Behrens"/>
|-
|[[File:Baobab sacree.JPG|120px]]|| ''[[Adansonia rubrostipa]]'' <small>[[Henri Lucien Jumelle|Jum.]] & [[Joseph Marie Henry Alfred Perrier de la Bâthie|H.Perrier]]</small> (syn. ''A. fony'')|| fony baobab|| central-to-south part of western Madagascar<ref name="Behrens"/>
|-
|[[File:Adansonia suarezensis.jpg|120px]]||''[[Adansonia suarezensis]]'' <small>H.Perrier</small> || Suarez baobab|| northern Madagascar<ref name="Behrens"/>
|-
|[[File:Bombacaceae - Adansonia za.jpg|120px]]|| ''[[Adansonia za]]'' <small>Baill.</small>|| za baobab|| west and southwest Madagascar<ref name="Behrens"/>
|}


==Habitat==
The fruit has a velvety shell and is about the size of a [[coconut]],<ref name=natgeo>{{cite news|last=Lange|first=Karen E.|title=Vitamin Tree|url=http://blogs.ngm.com/blog_central/2010/08/vitamin-tree.html|accessdate=1 June 2012|newspaper=[[National Geographic Society|National Geographic]]|date=August 2010|location=from magazine, also online}}</ref> weighing about {{convert|1.5|kg}}. It has an acidic, [[tart flavor]], described as "somewhere between grapefruit, pear, and vanilla".<ref name=natgeo/><ref name=ukfsa>{{cite web|url=http://www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/baobabapplicationfinal.pdf|title=Baobab dried fruit pulp – An application for novel foods approval in the EU as a food ingredient|author=Herbal Sciences International Ltd|year=2006|publisher=UK Food Standards Agency|accessdate=June 3, 2012}}</ref>
The Malagasy species are important components of the [[Madagascar dry deciduous forests]]. Within that [[biome]], ''Adansonia madagascariensis'' and ''A. rubrostipa'' occur specifically in the [[Anjajavy Forest]], sometimes growing out of the [[Tsingy de Bemaraha Strict Nature Reserve|tsingy]] [[limestone]] itself. ''A. digitata'' has been called "a defining icon of African bushland".<ref name="kew">{{cite web |url=http://www.kew.org/plants-fungi/Adansonia-digitata.htm |title=''Adansonia digitata'' (baobab) |website=Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew |access-date=8 June 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140220040818/http://www.kew.org/plants-fungi/Adansonia-digitata.htm |archive-date=20 February 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The tree also grows wild in [[Sudan]] in the regions of [[Darfur]] and the state of [[Kordofan]]. The locals call it "Gongolaze" and use its fruits as food and medicine and use the tree trunks as reservoirs to save water.{{cn|date=June 2023}}


==Ecology==
The dried fruit powder contains about 12% water and various nutrients, including [[carbohydrate]]s, [[dietary fiber]], [[vitamin C]], [[calcium]], [[magnesium]], [[B vitamins]], [[potassium]] and [[iron]].<ref name=ukfsa/><ref>{{cite journal |author=Osman MA| year=2004 |title= Chemical and nutrient analysis of baobab (Adansonia digitata) fruit and seed protein solubility|journal=Plant Foods Hum Nutr |volume=59 |issue=1 |pages=29–33 |publisher= |doi= 10.1007/s11130-004-0034-1|pmid=15675149 }}</ref><ref name=bbcnew>{{Cite web| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7506997.stm|title=New exotic fruit to hit UK shops|accessdate=2008-07-15|publisher= BBC | date=2008-07-15| archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20080719020231/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7506997.stm| archivedate= 19 July 2008 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author= Chadare FJ, Linnemann AR, Hounhouigan JD, Nout MJ, Van Boekel MA |year= 2009|title= Baobab food products: a review on their composition and nutritional value |journal= Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr |volume= 49 |issue=3 |pages= 254–74|publisher= |doi= 10.1080/10408390701856330|pmid= 19093269}}</ref>
Baobabs store water in the trunk (up to {{convert|120000|L|usgal|disp=or}}) to endure harsh drought conditions.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Baobab tree in Senegal |url=http://www.senegal-online.com/anglais/parcs-faune-flore/baobab.htm |access-date=1 October 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081004233417/http://www.senegal-online.com/anglais/parcs-faune-flore/baobab.htm |archive-date=4 October 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref> All occur in seasonally [[arid]] areas, and are [[deciduous]], shedding their [[leaves]] during the dry season. Across Africa, the oldest and largest baobabs began to die in the early 21st century, likely from a combination of drought and rising temperatures.<ref name="yong" /> The trees appear to become [[Thirst|parched]], then become [[dehydrated]] and unable to support their massive trunks.<ref name=nyt />


Baobabs are important as nest sites for birds, in particular the [[mottled spinetail]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://sabap2.adu.org.za/docs/sabap1/422.pdf |title=Species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds |access-date=30 October 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121021080706/http://sabap2.adu.org.za/docs/sabap1/422.pdf |archive-date=21 October 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and four species of [[Ploceidae|weaver]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://weavers.adu.org.za/spcat.php?spc=22 |title=Weavers breeding in baobabs |publisher=Animal Demography Unit, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, South Africa |access-date=30 October 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150915010817/http://weavers.adu.org.za/spcat.php?spc=22 |archive-date=15 September 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
In [[Zimbabwe]], the fruit is used in traditional food preparations which include "eating the fruit fresh or crushed crumbly pulp to stir into porridge and drinks".<ref name=natgeo/> In [[Sudan]], it may be moistened in water to make a juice.{{citation needed|date=September 2012}} [[Malawi]] women have set up commercial ventures harvesting the baobab to earn their children's school fees.<ref name=natgeo/>


==Notable trees==
In the [[European Union]] (EU) prior to commercial approval, baobab fruit powder was not available for ingredient uses, as legislation from 1997 dictated that foods not commonly consumed in the EU would have to be formally approved first. In 2008, baobab dried fruit pulp was authorized in the EU as a safe food ingredient,<ref>{{cite web| title= Baobab dried fruit pulp | url= http://acnfp.food.gov.uk/assess/fullapplics/baobab |year=2008| publisher = UK Food Standards Agency |accessdate=3 June 2012}}</ref> and it was later granted [[GRAS]] status in the United States.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodIngredientsPackaging/GenerallyRecognizedasSafeGRAS/GRASListings/ucm174945.htm |title=Agency Response Letter GRAS Notice No. GRN 000273 |publisher=Fda.gov}}</ref>
[[File:Fony baobab.jpg|thumb|"Grandmother" Fony baobab]]
[[Radiocarbon dating]] has provided data on a few individuals of ''A. digitata''. The Panke baobab in [[Zimbabwe]] was some 2,450 years old when it died in 2011, making it the oldest [[angiosperm]] ever documented,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Oldest hardwood tree ever - Guinness World Records |url=https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/634146-oldest-hardwood-tree-ever}}</ref> and two other trees—[[Dorsland tree|''Dorslandboom'']] in Namibia and [[Glencoe Baobab|''Glencoe'']] in South Africa—were estimated to be approximately 2,000 years old.<ref name="Patrut" /> Another specimen known as ''Grootboom'' was dated and found to be at least 1,275 years old.<ref name="kew"/><ref name="patrut2010">Patrut, A., et al. (2010). [https://journals.uair.arizona.edu/index.php/radiocarbon/article/viewFile/3705/pdf Fire history of a giant African baobab evinced by radiocarbon dating.] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141022214643/https://journals.uair.arizona.edu/index.php/radiocarbon/article/viewFile/3705/pdf |date=22 October 2014}} ''Radiocarbon'' 52(2), 717–26.</ref> The [[Glencoe Baobab]], a specimen of ''A. digitata'' in [[Limpopo Province]], South Africa, was considered to be the largest living individual, with a maximum [[circumference]] of {{convert|47|m|ft|abbr=on}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bigbaobab.co.za/baobab.html |title=Big Baobab Facts |access-date=8 January 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080106151314/http://www.bigbaobab.co.za/baobab.html |archive-date=6 January 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref> and a diameter of about {{convert|15.9|m|ft|abbr=on}}. The tree has since split into two parts, so the widest individual trunk may now be that of the [[Sunland Baobab]], or Platland tree, also in South Africa. The diameter of this tree at ground level is {{convert|9.3|m|ft|abbr=on}} and its circumference at breast height is {{convert|34|m|ft|abbr=on}}.<ref name="Patrut" />


Two large baobabs growing in [[Tsimanampetsotse National Park]] were also studied using radiocarbon dating.<ref name="Patrut">{{cite journal |vauthors=Patrut A, von Reden KF, Danthu P, Pock-Tsy JM, Patrut RT, Lowy DA |title=Searching for the oldest baobab of Madagascar: radiocarbon investigation of large Adansonia rubrostipa trees |journal=PLOS ONE |volume=10 |issue=3 |pages=e0121170 |year=2015 |pmid=25806967 |pmc=4373780 |bibcode=2015PLoSO..1021170P |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0121170 |doi-access=free}}</ref> One called ''Grandmother'' is made up of three fused trunks of different ages, with the oldest part of the tree an estimated 1,600 years old. The second, "polygamous baobab", has six fused stems, and is an estimated 1,000 years old.<ref name=Patrut/>
===Food uses===
The powdery white interior may be used as a "thickener in jams and gravies, a sweetener for fruit drinks, or a tangy flavor addition to hot sauces."<ref name=natgeo/><ref name=bbcnew/> The dry fruit pulp, separated from seeds and fibers, is eaten directly or mixed into [[porridge]] or [[milk]], and is also known as "monkey's bread". The dry fruit pulp may be covered in sugary coating (usually with red coloring) and sold in packages as a sweet and sour candy.{{citation needed|date=September 2012}}


==Culinary uses==
The dry pulp is either eaten fresh or added to [[gruel]]s. In [[Tanzania]], it is added to aid fermentation of sugar cane for beer making.<ref>http://www.baobab.kansaspalms.com M. Sidibe and J. T. Williams 2002. ''Baobab'' International Centre for Underutilised Crops, University of Southampton</ref> Pulp can be stored for beverage production, but it needs airtight containers. Storage is improved by the use of sodium metabisulphite.{{citation needed|date=June 2012}} It can also be frozen if ground to a powder. In Asia, it is an ingredient in a carbonated soda called Baobab Pepsi described as having a citrus taste.<ref>[http://newzjapan.com/japanese-business/baobab-pepsi-the-newest-experiment-in-colas Newzjapan]</ref>
===Leaves===
The tree's leaves may be eaten as a [[leaf vegetable]].<ref name="kew" />


===Seeds===
===Fruit===
[[Image:baoba recife.jpg|thumb|200px|Baobab in [[Recife]], [[Brazil]]]]
[[File:Starr 070727-7661 Adansonia digitata.jpg|thumb|''[[Adansonia digitata]]'' fruit]]
[[File:Interno del frutto del baobad Adansonia rubrostipa.JPG|thumb|''[[Adansonia rubrostipa]]'', fruit pulp]]
In the coastal areas of [[Kenya]] and [[Tanzania]], baobab seeds are cooked with sugar, colored, and sold as a snack. The seeds are mostly used as a thickener for [[soup]]s, but may also be [[Fermentation (food)|fermented]] into a [[seasoning]], [[roasting|roasted]] for direct consumption, or pounded to extract [[vegetable oil]].{{citation needed|date=September 2012}}


The white pith in the fruit of the Australian baobab (''A. gregorii'') tastes like [[Sherbet (frozen dessert)|sherbet]].<ref name="RFK"/> It has an acidic, tart, citrus flavor.<ref name=ukfsa>{{cite web |url=http://acnfp.food.gov.uk/assess/fullapplics/baobab |title=Baobab dried fruit pulp. EC No. 72; August 2006: Application from PhytoTrade Africa to approve baobab dried fruit pulp of African baobab (''A. digitata'') as a novel food ingredient. Authorised July 2008 |author=UK Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes |date=July 2008 |publisher=UK Food Standards Agency |access-date=3 June 2012 |archive-date=26 July 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120726223142/http://acnfp.food.gov.uk/assess/fullapplics/baobab |url-status=dead}}</ref> It is a good source of [[vitamin C]], potassium, carbohydrates, and phosphorus.{{cn|date=October 2023}} The dried fruit powder of ''A. digitata'', baobab powder, contains about 11% water, 80% [[carbohydrate]]s (50% fiber),<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nutritionvalue.org/Baobab_powder_nutritional_value.html |title=Nutrition Facts |website=nutritionvalue.org |access-date=20 July 2020 |archive-date=9 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210209011958/https://www.nutritionvalue.org/Baobab_powder_nutritional_value.html |url-status=live}}</ref> and modest levels of various nutrients, including [[riboflavin]], [[calcium]], [[magnesium]], [[potassium]], iron, and [[phytosterol]]s, with low levels of [[protein]] and fats.<ref name=ukfsa /><ref>{{cite journal |author=Osman, M.A. |year=2004 |title=Chemical and nutrient analysis of baobab (''Adansonia digitata'') fruit and seed protein solubility |journal=Plant Foods Hum Nutr |volume=59 |issue=1 |pages=29–33 |doi=10.1007/s11130-004-0034-1 |pmid=15675149|citeseerx=10.1.1.587.6400 |s2cid=23737392}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author=Chadare, F.J. |year=2009 |title=Baobab food products: a review on their composition and nutritional value |journal=Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr |volume=49 |issue=3 |pages=254–74 |doi=10.1080/10408390701856330 |pmid=19093269 |s2cid=23498946 |url=https://library.wur.nl/WebQuery/wurpubs/381961 |display-authors=etal}}</ref> Vitamin C content, described as variable in different samples, was in a range of {{convert|74|to|163|mg}} per {{convert|100|g|}} of dried powder.<ref name=ukfsa /> In 2008, baobab dried fruit pulp was authorized in the EU as a ''safe food ingredient'',<ref>{{cite web |title=Baobab dried fruit pulp |url=http://acnfp.food.gov.uk/assess/fullapplics/baobab |year=2008 |publisher=UK Food Standards Agency |access-date=3 June 2012 |archive-date=26 July 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120726223142/http://acnfp.food.gov.uk/assess/fullapplics/baobab |url-status=dead}}</ref> and later in the year was granted [[GRAS]] (''generally recognized as safe'') status in the United States.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/fdcc/index.cfm?set=GRASNotices&id=273 |title=GRAS Notice No. GRN 273 |publisher=US Food and Drug Administration |date=25 July 2009 |access-date=3 May 2018 |archive-date=9 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210209011949/https://www.cfsanappsexternal.fda.gov/scripts/fdcc/index.cfm?set=GRASNotices&id=273 |url-status=live}}</ref>
==Culture and myths==

* ''Tabaldi'' is the name of the baobab tree in Sudan, and its fruit is ''gongalis''{{clarify|date=May 2012}}. Baobab's trunk is used as a tank to store water. People in west Sudan use the hollow in the trunk to save water in the rainy season. ''Gongalis'' is used to make juice or to cure stomach and other diseases.{{Citation needed|date=December 2010}}
In [[Angola]], the dry fruit of ''A. digitata'' is usually boiled, and the broth is used for juices or as the base for a type of [[ice cream]] known as ''gelado de múcua''.{{cn|date=June 2023}} In [[Zimbabwe]], the fruit of ''A. digitata'' is eaten fresh or the crushed crumbly pulp is stirred into [[porridge]] and drinks.<ref>{{cite news |title=South African villagers tap into trend for 'superfood' baobab |url=https://www.afp.com/en/news/2266/south-african-villagers-tap-trend-superfood-baobab-doc-1986e82 |access-date=29 September 2018 |agency=AFP |date=24 September 2018 |archive-date=9 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210209012008/https://www.afp.com/en |url-status=live}}</ref> In [[Tanzania]], the dry pulp of ''A. digitata'' is added to [[sugarcane]] to aid [[fermentation]] in brewing (beermaking).<ref>Sidibe, M., et al. ''Baobab'', Adansonia digitata ''L.'' Volume 4 of ''Fruits for the Future''. International Centre for Underused Crops, 2002.</ref>
* The owners of Sunland Farm in [[Limpopo]], [[South Africa]] have built a [[pub]] called "The Big Baobab Pub" inside the hollow trunk of the {{convert|22|m|ft}} high [[Sunland Baobab|Sunland baobab]]. The tree is {{convert|47|m|abbr=on}} in circumference, and is reported to have been carbon dated at over 6,000 years old.<ref>[http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/worldnews.html?in_article_id=503404&in_page_id=1811 Fancy a pint in the world's only bar that's INSIDE a tree?, Daily Mail, December 2007] Retrieved 20 December 2007</ref><ref>[http://driving.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/driving/article1289705.ece Of all the gin joints in all the world, Tristan McConnell in the Big Baobab Pub, Modjadjiskloof, South Africa], [[The Times]], January 2007, Retrieved 20 December 2007</ref>

===Seed===
The seeds of some species are a source of [[vegetable oil]].<ref name="grand" /><ref name="za" /> The fruit pulp and seeds of ''A. grandidieri''<ref name="grand">Ambrose-Oji, B., and Mughogho, N. 2007. [http://database.prota.org/PROTAhtml/Adansonia%20grandidieri_En.htm ''Adansonia grandidieri'' Baill.] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407080714/http://database.prota.org/PROTAhtml/Adansonia%20grandidieri_En.htm |date=7 April 2014}} In: van der Vossen, H.A.M., and Mkamilo, G.S. (eds). PROTA 14: Vegetable oils/''Oléagineux''. PROTA, Wageningen, Netherlands.</ref> and ''A. za'' are eaten fresh.<ref name="za">Ambrose-Oji, B., and Mughogho, N. 2007. [http://database.prota.org/PROTAhtml/Adansonia%20za_En.htm ''Adansonia za'' Baill.] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402092728/http://database.prota.org/PROTAhtml/Adansonia%20za_En.htm |date=2 April 2015}} In: van der Vossen, H.A.M., and Mkamilo, G.S. (eds). PROTA 14: Vegetable oils/''Oléagineux''. PROTA, Wageningen, Netherlands.</ref>

==Other uses==
Some baobab species are sources of [[Fiber crop|fiber]], [[dye]], and [[fuel]]. [[Indigenous Australians]] used the native species ''A. gregorii'' for several products, making string from the root fibers and decorative crafts from the fruits.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article51187088 |title=Dance of the baob |newspaper=[[The Australian Women's Weekly]] |publisher=National Library of Australia |date=2 February 1966 |page=26 |access-date=11 January 2012}}</ref> Baobab oil from the seed is also used in cosmetics, particularly in [[moisturizer]]s.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Vermaak |first1=Ilze |last2=Kamatou |first2=Guy |last3=Komane-Mofokeng |first3=B. |last4=Alvaro |first4=Viljoen |last5=Beckett |first5=Katie |title=African seed oils of commercial importance – Cosmetic applications |journal=South African Journal of Botany |volume=77 |issue=4 |pages=920–933 |year=2011 |doi=10.1016/j.sajb.2011.07.003 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

==In culture==
Baobab trees hold cultural and spiritual significance in many African societies. They are often the sites of communal gatherings, storytelling, and rituals.<ref name="Lisao">{{cite journal | last1=Lisao | first1=K. | last2=Geldenhuys | first2=C.J. | last3=Chirwa | first3=P.W. | title=Traditional uses and local perspectives on baobab (Adansonia digitata) population structure by selected ethnic groups in northern Namibia | journal=South African Journal of Botany| volume=113 | year=2017 | issn=0254-6299 | doi=10.1016/j.sajb.2017.09.014 | pages=449–456| doi-access=free | hdl=2263/64705 | hdl-access=free }}</ref> An unusual baobab was the namesake of [[Kukawa]], formerly the capital of the [[Bornu Empire]] southwest of [[Lake Chad]] in [[Central Africa]].

In the novel ''[[The Little Prince]]'', the titular character takes care to root out baobabs that try to grow on his tiny planet home. The fearsome, grasping baobab trees, researchers have contended, were meant to represent [[Nazism]] attempting to destroy the planet.<ref name="NYTimes-1993.09.19">Reif, Rita. [https://www.nytimes.com/1993/09/19/books/arts-artifacts-a-charming-prince-turns-50-his-luster-intact.html A Charming Prince Turns 50, His Luster Intact], ''[[The New York Times]]'', 19 September 1993.</ref>


==Gallery==
==Gallery==
<gallery>
<gallery>
Image:baobabtre b3599.jpg|''Adansonia digitata'', [[Tarangire National Park]] in [[Tanzania]]
File:Adansonia digitata Baobab.JPG|''[[Adansonia digitata]]''
Image:Baobab Avenue 1.JPG|''[[Adansonia grandidieri]]'', [[Avenue of the Baobabs]], Madagascar
File:Derby boab, Western Australia.jpg|''[[Adansonia gregorii]]''
Image:Baobabamrazorback.jpg|''[[Adansonia madagascariensis]]'' in a [[Madagascar dry deciduous forest]]
File:Rubostipaanjajavycmichaelhogan.jpg|''[[Adansonia rubrostipa]]''
File:Adansonia suarezensis.jpg|''[[Adansonia suarezensis]]''
Image:SAbaobab.jpg|Baobab (''Adansonia digitata'') in [[Kruger National Park]], [[South Africa]]
Image:Derby boab, Western Australia.jpg|Boab ''[[Adansonia gregorii]]'' in [[Australia]]
File:Starr 080305-3303 Adansonia digitata.jpg|''[[Adansonia digitata]]'' leaf
File:Adansonia digitata (1).jpg|''[[Adansonia digitata]]'' flower
Image:Baobab Flowers.jpg|Baobab flowers in Mulund, [[Mumbai, India]]
File:Pollen of Adansonia or Baobab tree.jpg|''Adansonia'' pollen
Image:Baobab-siddi-tomb.JPG|Baobab tree at Siddi Tombs, [[Murud-Janjira]], Maharashtra, [[India]]
File:Baobab - seeds from one fruit, Adansonia digitata.jpg|''[[Adansonia digitata]]'' seeds from the fruit
Image:Baobab-sea-gate-vasai-fort.JPG|Baobab trees at seaside gate at [[Vasai Fort]], Maharashtra, [[India]]
File:Raw baobab powder on white paper.jpg|Baobab powder
Image:Baobab-vasai-fort.JPG| A Baobab tree at [[Vasai Fort]], Maharashtra, [[India]]
File:Baobab - fruit pulp elements detail - Adansonia digitata.jpg|Elements of the fruit pulp of ''[[Adansonia digitata]]'' (clockwise from top right): whole fruit pulp chunks, fibers, seeds, powder from the pulp
Image:O_maior_Baob%C3%A1_do_Brasil,_com_19,5m_de_circunfer%C3%AAncia_-_Rua_S%C3%A3o_Jos%C3%A9_-_Natal_-_RN.JPG [[Brasil]]
</gallery>
</gallery>


==References==
==References==
{{reflist |refs=
{{Reflist|2}}
<ref name="RFK">{{cite web |last1=Zich |first1=F.A. |last2=Hyland |first2=B.P.M. |author2-link=Bernard Hyland |last3=Whiffen |first3=T. |last4=Kerrigan |first4=R.A. |title=''Adansonia gregorii'' |url=https://apps.lucidcentral.org/rainforest/text/entities/Adansonia_gregorii.htm |website=[[Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants]] Edition 8 (RFK8) |publisher=Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research (CANBR), [[Australian Government]] |year=2020 |access-date=23 June 2021}}</ref>
}}

== Further reading ==
*{{cite news |first=Rachel |last=Nuwer |title=Things Are Looking Up for Africa’s Upside-Down Baobab Trees |date=2024-09-24 |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/27/science/baobab-trees-africa-climate-change.html |url-access=subscription}}


==Further reading==
==External links==
{{Commons category}}
{{Wikispecies}}
{{Wikisource1911Enc|Baobab}}
{{Wikisource1911Enc|Baobab}}
* {{Commons-inline}}
{{Refbegin}}
* {{Wikispecies-inline}}
* {{Cite journal | doi = 10.1080/106351598260879 | last1 = Baum | first1 = D. A. | last2 = Small | first2 = R. L. | last3 = Wendel | first3 = J. F. | year = 1998 | title = Biogeography and floral evolution of baobabs (Adansonia, Bombacaceae) as inferred from multiple data sets | url = | journal = Systematic Biology | volume = 47 | issue = 2| pages = 181–207 | pmid = 12064226 }}
* Braun, K. (1900) ''Beiträge zur Anatomie der Adansonia digitata L.'' F. Reinhardt, Universitäts-Buchdruckerei, Basel, [http://worldcat.org/oclc/15926986 OCLC 15926986]
*{{Cite book
|last=Colin |first= Tudge
|title= The Tree: A Natural History of What Trees Are, How They Live, and Why They Matter
|year=2006, 2005 |edition= 1st U.S.
|publisher=Crown Publishers
|location=New York, NY
|isbn=1-4000-5036-7
|oclc=64336118}}
*{{Cite book
|last=Lowe |first= Pat
|title= The Boab Tree
|year= |edition=
|publisher=Lothian
|location=Port Melbourne, Australia
|isbn=0-85091-912-6
|oclc=39079651}}
*{{Cite book
|last=Pakenham |first= Thomas
|title= The Remarkable Baobab
|year=2004 |edition= 1st American
|publisher=Norton
|location=New York, NY
|isbn=0-393-05989-8
|oclc=56844554}}
*{{Cite book
|last=Watson |first= Rupert
|title= The African Baobab
|year=2007
|publisher= Struik; New Holland
|location=Cape Town, South Africa; London, England
|isbn= 978-1-77007-430-9
|oclc=163617611}}
*{{Cite book
|last=Wickens |first= G. E.
|coauthors=Lowe, Pat
|title= The Baobabs: Pachycauls of Africa, Madagascar and Australia
|year=2008
|publisher= Springer Verlag
|location=Berlin, Germany; New York, NY
|isbn=978-1-4020-6430-2
|oclc=166358049}}
{{Refend}}


{{Taxonbar|from=Q157991}}
[[Category:Adansonia| ]]
{{Authority control}}


[[Category:Adansonia| ]]
{{Link GA|de}}
[[Category:Malvaceae genera]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus]]
[[Category:Fruits originating in Africa]]
[[Category:Fruits originating in Australia]]

Latest revision as of 15:53, 5 December 2024

Adansonia
Adansonia digitata in Tanzania
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Malvales
Family: Malvaceae
Subfamily: Bombacoideae
Genus: Adansonia
L.[1]
Species

See species section

Adansonia is a genus made up of eight species of medium-to-large deciduous trees known as baobabs (/ˈbbæb/ or /ˈbbæb/) or adansonias. They are placed in the Malvaceae family, subfamily Bombacoideae. They are native to Madagascar, mainland Africa, and Australia.[2] The trees have also been introduced to other regions such as Asia.[3] A genomic and ecological analysis has suggested that the genus is Madagascan in origin.[4]

The generic name honours Michel Adanson, the French naturalist and explorer who described Adansonia digitata.[5] The baobab is also known as the "upside down tree", a name that originates from several myths.[6] They are among the most long-lived of vascular plants[7] and have large flowers that are reproductive for a maximum of 15 hours.[8] The flowers open around dusk, opening so quickly that movement can be detected by the naked eye, and are faded by the next morning.[8] The fruits are large, oval to round and berry-like and hold kidney-shaped seeds in a dry, pulpy matrix.

In the early 21st century, baobabs in southern Africa began to die off rapidly from a cause yet to be determined. It is unlikely that disease or pests would be able to kill many trees so rapidly, and some have speculated that the die-off is a result of dehydration.[9][10]

Description

[edit]
Adansonia digitata (African baobab) tree in Mikumi National Park with its fruits hanging

Baobabs are long-lived deciduous, small to large trees from 5 to 30 m (20 to 100 ft) tall[8] with broad trunks and compact crowns. Young trees usually have slender, tapering trunks, often with a swollen base. Mature trees have massive trunks that are bottle-shaped or cylindrical and tapered from bottom to top.[8] The trunk is made of fibrous wood arranged in concentric rings, although rings are not always formed annually and so cannot be used to determine the age of individual trees.[11] Tree diameter fluctuates with rainfall so it is thought that water may be stored in the trunk.[8] Baobab trees have two types of shoots—long, green vegetative ones, and stout, woody reproductive ones. Branches can be massive and spread out horizontally from the trunk or are ascending.

Adansonia gregorii is generally the smallest of the baobabs, rarely getting to over 10 m (33 ft) tall and often with multiple trunks.[8] Both A. rubrostipa and A. madagascariensis are small to large trees, from 5 to 20 m (16 to 66 ft) tall.[8] The other baobabs grow from 25 to 30 m (80 to 100 ft) tall, with 2 to 3 m (7 to 10 ft) diameter trunks. A. digitata, however, often has massive single or multiple trunks of up to 10 m (33 ft) diameter.[8]

Leaves

[edit]

Leaves are palmately compound in mature trees, but seedlings and regenerating shoots may have simple leaves. The transition to compound leaves comes with age and may be gradual. Leaves have 5–11 leaflets, with the largest ones in the middle and may be stalkless or with short petioles. Leaflets may have toothed or smooth edges, and may be hairless or have simple-to-clumped hairs. Baobabs have stipules at the base of the leaves, but the stipules are soon shed in most species. Baobabs are deciduous, shedding leaves during the dry season.[8]

Flowers

[edit]
Open flower showing distorted petals and the unfused ball of stamens set on top of the staminal tube
Bisected flower showing the style running through the staminal tube, bending, then projecting out of the stamens

In most Adansonia species, the flowers are borne on short erect or spreading stalks in the axils of the leaves near the tips of reproductive shoots. Only A. digitata has flowers and fruits set on long, hanging stalks. There is usually only a single flower in an axil, but sometimes flowers occur in pairs. They are large, showy and strongly scented. They only open near dusk. Opening is rapid and movement of the flower parts is fast enough to be visible. Most Adansonia species are pollinated by bats.[12]

Flowers may remain attached to the trees for several days, but the reproductive phase is very short, with pollen shed during the first night and stigmas shriveled by the morning. The flower is made up of an outer 5-lobed calyx, and an inner ring of petals set around a fused tube of stamens.[8] The outer lobes of the calyx are usually green (brown in A. grandidieri) and in bud are joined almost to the tip. As the flower opens, the calyx lobes split apart and become coiled or bent back (reflexed) at the base of the flower. The inner surface of the lobes are silky-hairy and cream, pink, or red.[8] Sometimes the lobes do not separate cleanly, distorting the shape of the flower as they bend back. The calyx lobes remain fused at the base, leaving a feature (calyx tube) that has nectar-producing tissue and that is cup-shaped, flat or tubular; the form of the calyx tube varies with species.[8] The flowers have a central tube (staminal tube) made up of fused stalks of stamens (filaments), with unfused filaments above. A densely hairy ovary is enclosed in the staminal tube, and a long style tipped with a stigma emerges from the filaments. Petals are set near the base of the staminal tube and are variable in shape and colour. The flowers, when fresh, may be white, cream, bright yellow or dark red, but fade quickly, often turning reddish when dried.[8]

Fruit

[edit]

The fruit of the baobabs is one of their distinguishing features. It is large, oval-to-round, and berry-like in most species (usually less than 10 centimetres (3.9 in) long in A. madagascariensis.[8]). It has a dry, hard outer shell of variable thickness. In most species, the shell is indehiscent (does not break open easily). A. gibbosa is the only species with fruits that crack while still on the tree, which then tend to break open upon landing on the ground. Inside the outer shell, kidney-shaped seeds 10–15(−20) mm long are set in a dry pulp.[8]

Taxonomy

[edit]

The earliest written reports of baobab are from a 14th-century travelogue by the Arab traveler Ibn Battuta.[8] The first botanical description was in the De medicina Aegyptiorum by Prospero Alpini (1592), looking at fruits that he observed in Egypt from an unknown source. They were called Bahobab, possibly from the Arabic أَبُو حِبَاب abū ḥibāb meaning "many-seeded fruit".[8] The French explorer and botanist Michel Adanson (1727–1806) observed a baobab tree in 1749 on the island of Sor in Senegal, and wrote the first detailed botanical description of the full tree, accompanied with illustrations. Recognizing the connection to the fruit described by Alpini he called the genus Baobab. Linnaeus later renamed the genus Adansonia, to honour Adanson, but use of baobab as one of the common names has persisted.[8]

The genus Adansonia is in the subfamily Bombacoideae, within the family Malvaceae in the order Malvales. The subfamily Bombacoideae was previously treated as the Bombacaceae family but it is no longer recognized at the rank of family by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group I 1998, II 2003 or the Kubitzki system 2003. There are eight accepted species of Adansonia. A new species (Adansonia kilima Pettigrew, et al.), was described in 2012, found in high-elevation sites in eastern and southern Africa.[13] This, however, is no longer recognized as a distinct species[14] but considered a synonym of A. digitata. Some high-elevation trees in Tanzania show different genetics and morphology, but further study is needed to determine if recognition of them as a separate species is warranted.[14] The genus Adansonia is further divided into three sections. Section Adansonia includes only A. digitata. This species has hanging flowers and fruit, set on long flowering stalks. This is the type species for the genus Adansonia.[8] All species of Adansonia except A. digitata are diploid; A. digitata is tetraploid.[13] Section Brevitubae includes A. grandidieri and A. suarexensis. These are species with flower buds that set on short pedicles and that are approximately twice as long as wide. The other species are all classified within the section Longitubae. They also have flowers/fruits set on short pedicels, but the flower buds are five or more times as long as wide.[citation needed]

Species

[edit]
Adansonia grandidieri, Madagascar

As of July 2020, there are eight recognized species of Adansonia, with six endemic to Madagascar, one native to mainland Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, and one native to Australia. The mainland African species (Adansonia digitata) also occurs on Madagascar, but it is not a native of that island. Baobabs were introduced in ancient times to south Asia and during the colonial era to the Caribbean. They are also present in the island nation of Cape Verde.[6] A ninth species was described in 2012 (Adansonia kilima Pettigrew, et al.)[13] but is no longer recognized as a distinct species.[14] The African and Australian baobabs are similar in appearance, and the oldest splits within Adansonia are likely no older than 15 million years; thus, the Australian species represents a long-distance trans-oceanic dispersal event from Africa.[15] The lineage leading to Adansonia was found to have diverged from its closest relatives in Bombacoideae like Ceiba /Chorisia at the end of the Eocene, during a time of abrupt global climate cooling and drying, while a divergence of this Adansonia+Ceiba /Chorisia clade from Pachira was found to be more ancient, dating to the middle Eocene.[16]

List of species of Adansonia[17]
Image Species Common names Native range
Adansonia digitata L. (also includes Adansonia kilima[13]) African baobab, dead-rat-tree, monkey-bread-tree, montane African baobab, Gongolaze western, northeastern, central and southern Africa, SW Asia (Yemen, Oman)[18]
Adansonia grandidieri Baill. Grandidier's baobab, giant baobab west central Madagascar[19]
Adansonia gregorii F.Muell. (syn. A. gibbosa) boab, Australian baobab, bottletree, cream-of-tartar-tree, gouty-stem Australia (Northern Territory, Western Australia)[20]
Adansonia madagascariensis Baill. Madagascar baobab northwest and north Madagascar[21]
Adansonia perrieri Capuron Perrier's baobab northern Madagascar[21]
Adansonia rubrostipa Jum. & H.Perrier (syn. A. fony) fony baobab central-to-south part of western Madagascar[21]
Adansonia suarezensis H.Perrier Suarez baobab northern Madagascar[21]
Adansonia za Baill. za baobab west and southwest Madagascar[21]

Habitat

[edit]

The Malagasy species are important components of the Madagascar dry deciduous forests. Within that biome, Adansonia madagascariensis and A. rubrostipa occur specifically in the Anjajavy Forest, sometimes growing out of the tsingy limestone itself. A. digitata has been called "a defining icon of African bushland".[22] The tree also grows wild in Sudan in the regions of Darfur and the state of Kordofan. The locals call it "Gongolaze" and use its fruits as food and medicine and use the tree trunks as reservoirs to save water.[citation needed]

Ecology

[edit]

Baobabs store water in the trunk (up to 120,000 litres or 32,000 US gallons) to endure harsh drought conditions.[23] All occur in seasonally arid areas, and are deciduous, shedding their leaves during the dry season. Across Africa, the oldest and largest baobabs began to die in the early 21st century, likely from a combination of drought and rising temperatures.[9] The trees appear to become parched, then become dehydrated and unable to support their massive trunks.[10]

Baobabs are important as nest sites for birds, in particular the mottled spinetail[24] and four species of weaver.[25]

Notable trees

[edit]
"Grandmother" Fony baobab

Radiocarbon dating has provided data on a few individuals of A. digitata. The Panke baobab in Zimbabwe was some 2,450 years old when it died in 2011, making it the oldest angiosperm ever documented,[26] and two other trees—Dorslandboom in Namibia and Glencoe in South Africa—were estimated to be approximately 2,000 years old.[27] Another specimen known as Grootboom was dated and found to be at least 1,275 years old.[22][28] The Glencoe Baobab, a specimen of A. digitata in Limpopo Province, South Africa, was considered to be the largest living individual, with a maximum circumference of 47 m (154 ft)[29] and a diameter of about 15.9 m (52 ft). The tree has since split into two parts, so the widest individual trunk may now be that of the Sunland Baobab, or Platland tree, also in South Africa. The diameter of this tree at ground level is 9.3 m (31 ft) and its circumference at breast height is 34 m (112 ft).[27]

Two large baobabs growing in Tsimanampetsotse National Park were also studied using radiocarbon dating.[27] One called Grandmother is made up of three fused trunks of different ages, with the oldest part of the tree an estimated 1,600 years old. The second, "polygamous baobab", has six fused stems, and is an estimated 1,000 years old.[27]

Culinary uses

[edit]

Leaves

[edit]

The tree's leaves may be eaten as a leaf vegetable.[22]

Fruit

[edit]
Adansonia digitata fruit
Adansonia rubrostipa, fruit pulp

The white pith in the fruit of the Australian baobab (A. gregorii) tastes like sherbet.[30] It has an acidic, tart, citrus flavor.[31] It is a good source of vitamin C, potassium, carbohydrates, and phosphorus.[citation needed] The dried fruit powder of A. digitata, baobab powder, contains about 11% water, 80% carbohydrates (50% fiber),[32] and modest levels of various nutrients, including riboflavin, calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron, and phytosterols, with low levels of protein and fats.[31][33][34] Vitamin C content, described as variable in different samples, was in a range of 74 to 163 milligrams (1.14 to 2.52 gr) per 100 grams (3.5 oz) of dried powder.[31] In 2008, baobab dried fruit pulp was authorized in the EU as a safe food ingredient,[35] and later in the year was granted GRAS (generally recognized as safe) status in the United States.[36]

In Angola, the dry fruit of A. digitata is usually boiled, and the broth is used for juices or as the base for a type of ice cream known as gelado de múcua.[citation needed] In Zimbabwe, the fruit of A. digitata is eaten fresh or the crushed crumbly pulp is stirred into porridge and drinks.[37] In Tanzania, the dry pulp of A. digitata is added to sugarcane to aid fermentation in brewing (beermaking).[38]

Seed

[edit]

The seeds of some species are a source of vegetable oil.[39][40] The fruit pulp and seeds of A. grandidieri[39] and A. za are eaten fresh.[40]

Other uses

[edit]

Some baobab species are sources of fiber, dye, and fuel. Indigenous Australians used the native species A. gregorii for several products, making string from the root fibers and decorative crafts from the fruits.[41] Baobab oil from the seed is also used in cosmetics, particularly in moisturizers.[42]

In culture

[edit]

Baobab trees hold cultural and spiritual significance in many African societies. They are often the sites of communal gatherings, storytelling, and rituals.[43] An unusual baobab was the namesake of Kukawa, formerly the capital of the Bornu Empire southwest of Lake Chad in Central Africa.

In the novel The Little Prince, the titular character takes care to root out baobabs that try to grow on his tiny planet home. The fearsome, grasping baobab trees, researchers have contended, were meant to represent Nazism attempting to destroy the planet.[44]

[edit]

References

[edit]
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  2. ^ Tropicos.org. Missouri Botanical Garden. 8 Jul 2020 http://www.tropicos.org Archived 23 April 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ "The Baobab: Fun Facts About Africa's Tree of Life". ThoughtCo.
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  44. ^ Reif, Rita. A Charming Prince Turns 50, His Luster Intact, The New York Times, 19 September 1993.

Further reading

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