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Adansonia is a genus of medium-to-large deciduous trees known as baobabs ( or ). The eight species of Adansonia are native to Africa, Australia, and Madagascar but have also been introduced to other regions of the world, including Barbados, where several of the baobabs there are suspected to have originated from Africa. Other baobabs have been introduced to Asia. A genomic and Ecology analysis further suggests that the genus itself originated from Madagascar.
The generic name Adansonia honours Michel Adanson, the French naturalist and explorer who provided the first detailed botanical description and illustrations of Adansonia digitata. The baobab, however, is also known as the "upside down tree," a name attributable to the trees' overall appearance and historical myths. Baobabs are among the longest-lived of and have large flowers that are reproductive for a maximum of 15 hours. The flowers open around dusk with sufficiently rapid movement that is detectable by the naked eye. 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 and mysteriously—the cause is yet to be determined. Blight or pests are unlikely to have caused such rapid death, so some have speculated that the cause may have been mass dehydration.
Adansonia gregorii is generally the smallest of the baobabs, rarely getting to over tall and often with multiple trunks. Both A. rubrostipa and A. madagascariensis are small to large trees, from tall. The other baobabs grow from tall, with diameter trunks. A. digitata, however, often has massive single or multiple trunks of up to diameter.
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. 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. 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. 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.
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. The closest living relatives of Adansonia within Bombacoideae are the South American genera: Cavanillesia, Scleronema, Catostemma, and Aguiaria. 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. This, however, is no longer recognized as a distinct species 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. 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. All species of Adansonia except A. digitata are diploid; A. digitata is tetraploid. 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.
| + List of species of Adansonia |
western, northeastern, central and southern Africa, SW Asia (Yemen, Oman)Science, Kew. "
Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 19 February 2022. |
| west central Madagascar |
| Australia (Northern Territory, Western Australia)Science, Kew. "
Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 19 February 2022. |
| northwest and north MadagascarBehrens, K. and K. Barnes. 2016. Wildlife of Madagascar. Wild guides, Princeton University Press. |
| northern Madagascar |
| central-to-south part of western Madagascar |
| northern Madagascar |
| west and southwest Madagascar |
Baobabs are important as nest sites for birds, in particular the mottled spinetail and four species of Ploceidae.
Two large baobabs growing in Tsimanampetsotse National Park were also studied using radiocarbon dating. 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.
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. In Zimbabwe, the fruit of A. digitata is eaten fresh or the crushed crumbly pulp is stirred into porridge and drinks. In Tanzania, the dry pulp of A. digitata is added to sugarcane to aid fermentation in brewing (beermaking).Sidibe, M., et al. Baobab, Adansonia digitata L. Volume 4 of Fruits for the Future. International Centre for Underused Crops, 2002.
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.Reif, Rita. A Charming Prince Turns 50, His Luster Intact, The New York Times, 19 September 1993.
==Gallery==
Culinary uses
Leaves
The tree's leaves may be eaten as a leaf vegetable.
Fruit
The white pith in the fruit of the Australian baobab ( A. gregorii) tastes like sherbet. It has an acidic, tart, citrus flavor. It is a good source of vitamin C, potassium, carbohydrates, and phosphorus. The dried fruit powder of A. digitata, baobab powder, contains about 11% water, 80% (50% fiber), and modest levels of various nutrients, including riboflavin, calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron, and , with low levels of protein and fats. Vitamin C content, described as variable in different samples, was in a range of per of dried powder. In 2008, baobab dried fruit pulp was authorized in the EU as a safe food ingredient, and later in the year was granted GRAS ( generally recognized as safe) status in the United States.
Seed
The seeds of some species are a source of vegetable oil. The fruit pulp and seeds of A. grandidieriAmbrose-Oji, B., and Mughogho, N. 2007. Adansonia grandidieri Baill. In: van der Vossen, H.A.M., and Mkamilo, G.S. (eds). PROTA 14: Vegetable oils/ Oléagineux. PROTA, Wageningen, Netherlands. and A. za are eaten fresh.Ambrose-Oji, B., and Mughogho, N. 2007. Adansonia za Baill. In: van der Vossen, H.A.M., and Mkamilo, G.S. (eds). PROTA 14: Vegetable oils/ Oléagineux. PROTA, Wageningen, Netherlands.
Other uses
Some baobab species are sources of Fiber crop, 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. Baobab oil from the seed is also used in cosmetics, particularly in .
In culture
Baobab trees hold cultural and spiritual significance in many African societies. They are often the sites of communal gatherings, storytelling, and rituals. An unusual baobab was the namesake of Kukawa, formerly the capital of the Bornu Empire southwest of Lake Chad in Central Africa.
Further reading
External links
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