Trees Planet: Adansonia digitata

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Adansonia digitata - Baobab

General Information

Common Name	Baobab
Scientific Name	Adansonia digitata
Sun Tolerance	Full Sun
Height	10–25 m (33–80 ft)
Spread	up to 15 m (up to 50 ft)
Growth Rate	Moderate
Bloom Time	Winter
Color	Green
Flower Color	White
Type	Tree
Native	Africa

Classification

Kingdom	Plantae – Plants
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta – Vascular plants
Superdivision	Spermatophyta – Seed plants
Division	Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
Class	Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Subclass	Dilleniidae
Order	Malvales
Family	Bombacaceae – Kapok-tree family
Genus	Adansonia L. – adansonia
Species	A. digitata

Adansonia digitata - Baobab

Adansonia digitata common name is Baobab. Baobab is mainly native to Africa is associated with rainfall patterns of the Atlantic coast counties. It is very limited in Central Africa, and it is found only in the very north of Southern Africa. In Eastern Africa, the trees grow also in shrublands and on the coast. In Angola and Namibia, the baobabs grow in woodlands. It is also found in Dhofar region of Oman and Yemen in the Arabian Peninsula, Asia. This tree is also found in India, particularly in the dry regions of the country.

This is a large and distinctive tree. It grows up to 25m (80 ft). It is also a long living tree, some large individuals living to well over a thousand years of age. Leaves borne at the ends of branches, they are usually divided into 5‒7 leaflets attached to a central point. The tree bears very large, heavy, white flowers. The showy flowers are pendulous with a very large number of stamens. The fruits grow up to 35 cm long and 13 cm wide. They are filled with pulp that dries, hardens, and falls to pieces which look like chunks of powdery, dry bread. This is an important indigenous fruit tree, the fruit pulp (rich in vitamin C) is eaten on its own or mixed in porridge and is also used for making soft drinks. Seeds are used as a thickener for soups, and leaves are eaten as a vegetable or in soups.