{{Short description|Genus of trees known as baobab}} {{for|the most common use of "Baobab"|Adansonia digitata}} {{redirect-multi|2|Baobab|Upside-down tree|the tree in Hyde Park|Fagus sylvatica#Cultivation|other uses|Baobab (disambiguation)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}} {{Automatic taxobox | image = Baobab Adansonia digitata.jpg | image_caption = ''Adansonia digitata'' in Tanzania | taxon = Adansonia | authority = 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 }}</ref> | subdivision_ranks = Species | subdivision = See species section | synonyms = *''Baobab'' {{small|Adans.}} *''Baobabus'' {{small|Kuntze}} *''Ophelus'' {{small|Lour.}} | synonyms_ref = <ref name = powo>{{cite web |title=''Adansonia'' L. |url=https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:60470489-2 |website=Plants of the World Online |publisher=Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew |access-date=2 November 2025}}</ref> }}
'''''Adansonia''''' is a genus of medium-to-large deciduous trees known as '''baobabs''' (also '''boabab'''<ref>{{cite web |title=Boabab |website=Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/boabab |access-date=26 March 2026}}</ref>; {{IPAc-en|ˈ|b|aʊ|b|æ|b}} or {{IPAc-en|ˈ|b|eɪ|oʊ|b|æ|b}}). 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.<ref>{{cite web |author=Staff writer |year=2024 |title=Baobab Trees |script-title= |trans-title= |url=https://www.barbados.org/baobab.htm |url-access= |archive-format= |access-date=11 March 2025 |website=www.barbados.org |publisher=Axses Systems Caribbean Inc. |language= |publication-place=Barbados |publication-date=2024 |arxiv= |asin= |asin-tld= |bibcode= |biorxiv= |citeseerx= |doi= |isbn= |issn= |jfm= |jstor= |lccn= |mr= |oclc= |ol= |osti= |pmc= |pmid= |rfc= |ssrn= |zbl= |id= |quote=These two Baobab trees hold a well deserved place in the Barbados.org's "Seven Wonders of Barbados"! |trans-quote= |bibcode-access= |doi-access= |hdl-access= |jstor-access= |ol-access= |osti-access= |agency= |title-link= |script-website= |trans-website= |eissn= |hdl= |ismn= |medrxiv= |sbn= |s2cid= |s2cid-access= |quote-page= |quote-pages= |script-quote=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author1=Melanie |author2=Kimberly |date=10 December 2012 |title=The Oldest & Largest in Barbados: Boabab |script-title= |trans-title= |url=https://www.loopbarbados.com/loop-blog/oldest-largest-barbados-boabab |url-access= |archive-format= |access-date=11 March 2025 |website=www.loopbarbados.com |publisher=Loop Barbados Inc. |language= |publication-place= |publication-date=10 December 2012 |arxiv= |asin= |asin-tld= |bibcode= |biorxiv= |citeseerx= |doi= |isbn= |issn= |jfm= |jstor= |lccn= |mr= |oclc= |ol= |osti= |pmc= |pmid= |rfc= |ssrn= |zbl= |id= |quote= |trans-quote= |bibcode-access= |doi-access= |hdl-access= |jstor-access= |ol-access= |osti-access= |agency= |location= |title-link= |script-website= |trans-website= |eissn= |hdl= |ismn= |medrxiv= |sbn= |s2cid= |s2cid-access= |quote-page= |quote-pages= |script-quote=}}</ref> Other baobabs have been introduced to Asia.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Baobab: Fun Facts About Africa's Tree of Life |url=https://www.thoughtco.com/fun-facts-about-the-baobab-tree-1454374 |website=ThoughtCo}}</ref> A genomic and ecological analysis further suggests that the genus itself originated from Madagascar.<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 |display-authors=5 |name-list-style=amp |date=2024 |title=The rise of baobab trees in Madagascar |journal=Nature |doi=10.1038/s41586-024-07447-4 |pmc=11136661 |doi-access=free |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|volume=629 |issue=8014 |pages=1091–1099 |pmid=38750363 |bibcode=2024Natur.629.1091W }}</ref>
The generic name ''Adansonia'' honours Michel Adanson, the French naturalist and explorer who provided the first detailed botanical description and illustrations of ''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, however, is also known as the "upside down tree," a name attributable to the trees' overall appearance and historical 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> Baobabs are among the longest-lived of vascular plants<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 |bibcode=2018NatPl...4..423P |url=https://www.nature.com/articles/s41477-018-0170-5|hdl=2263/65292 |s2cid=47017569 |hdl-access=free |url-access=subscription }}</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) |journal=Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden |volume=82 |issue=3 |pages=440–471 |doi=10.2307/2399893 |jstor=2399893 |bibcode=1995AnMBG..82..440B |issn=0026-6493}}</ref> The flowers open around dusk with sufficiently rapid movement that is detectable by the naked eye.<ref name="Baum"/> 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.<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>
==Description== thumb|''Adansonia digitata'' (African baobab) tree in Mikumi National Park with its fruits hanging 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"/>
===Leaves=== 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.<ref name="Baum"/>
===Flowers=== thumb|left|Open flower showing distorted petals and the unfused ball of stamens set on top of the staminal tube 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)|journal=Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden|volume=82|issue=2|pages=322–348|doi=10.2307/2399883|jstor=2399883|bibcode=1995AnMBG..82..322B |issn=0026-6493}}</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"/>
===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"/>
==Taxonomy== 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}} {{Lang|ar-Latn|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. The closest living relatives of ''Adansonia'' within Bombacoideae are the South American genera: ''Cavanillesia'', ''Scleronema'', ''Catostemma'', and ''Aguiaria.''<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Carvalho-Sobrinho |first=Jefferson G. |last2=Alverson |first2=William S. |last3=Alcantara |first3=Suzana |last4=Queiroz |first4=Luciano P. |last5=Mota |first5=Aline C. |last6=Baum |first6=David A. |date=2016-08-01 |title=Revisiting the phylogeny of Bombacoideae (Malvaceae): Novel relationships, morphologically cohesive clades, and a new tribal classification based on multilocus phylogenetic analyses |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1055790316300872 |journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution |volume=101 |pages=56–74 |doi=10.1016/j.ympev.2016.05.006 |issn=1055-7903|url-access=subscription }}</ref> 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 |bibcode=2012Taxon..61.1240P |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 }}</ref> This, however, is no longer recognized as a distinct species<ref name="cron">{{cite journal |last1=Cron |first1=G.V. |last2=Karimi |first2=N. |last3=Glennon |first3=K.L. |last4=Udeh |first4=C. |last5=Witkowski |first5=E.T.F. |last6=Venter |first6=S.M. |last7=Assogbadio |first7=A. |last8=Baum |first8=D.A. |title=One African baobab species or two? A re-evaluation of Adansonia kilima |journal=South African Journal of Botany |date=March 2016 |volume=103 |page=312 |doi=10.1016/j.sajb.2016.02.036 |doi-access=free |s2cid=87875509}}</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.{{citation needed|date=June 2023}}
==Species== {{As of|2020|07}}, eight species of ''Adansonia'' have been recognized, 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 |article-number=jkab136 |doi=10.1093/g3journal/jkab136 |pmid=33892500 |pmc=8496235 |doi-access=free}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable" |+ 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 }}</ref> |- !Image !!Species !! Common names !! Native range |- |120px|| ''Adansonia digitata'' <small>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> |- |120px ||''Adansonia grandidieri'' <small>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 |article-number=e.T30388A64007143 |year=2016 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T30388A64007143.en}}</ref> |- |120px ||''Adansonia gregorii'' <small>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> |- |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> |- | frameless|160x160px||''Adansonia perrieri'' <small>Capuron</small>|| Perrier's baobab|| northern Madagascar<ref name="Behrens"/> |- |120px|| ''Adansonia rubrostipa'' <small>Jum. & H.Perrier</small> (syn. ''A. fony'')|| fony baobab|| central-to-south part of western Madagascar<ref name="Behrens"/> |- |120px||''Adansonia suarezensis'' <small>H.Perrier</small> || Suarez baobab|| northern Madagascar<ref name="Behrens"/> |- |120px|| ''Adansonia za'' <small>Baill.</small>|| za baobab|| west and southwest Madagascar<ref name="Behrens"/> |}
==Habitat== 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".<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 }}</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.{{citation needed|date=June 2023}}
==Ecology== 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 }}</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 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 }}</ref> and four species of 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 }}</ref>
==Notable trees== 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—''Dorslandboom'' in Namibia and ''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 }}</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 |article-number=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/>
==Culinary uses== ===Leaves=== The tree's leaves may be eaten as a leaf vegetable.<ref name="kew" />
===Fruit=== [[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]]
The white pith in the fruit of the Australian baobab (''A. gregorii'') tastes like 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 }}</ref> It is a good source of vitamin C, potassium, carbohydrates, and phosphorus.{{citation needed|date=October 2023}} The dried fruit powder of ''A. digitata'', baobab powder, contains about 11% water, 80% carbohydrates (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 phytosterols, 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|bibcode=2004PFHN...59...29O |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|url-access=subscription }}</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 }}</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 }}</ref>
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|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>
===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, 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 moisturizers.<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|bibcode=2011SAJB...77..920V }}</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 | bibcode=2017SAJB..113..449L | 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> File:Adansonia digitata Baobab.JPG|''Adansonia digitata'' File:Derby boab, Western Australia.jpg|''Adansonia gregorii'' File:Rubostipaanjajavycmichaelhogan.jpg|''Adansonia rubrostipa'' File:Adansonia suarezensis.jpg|''Adansonia suarezensis'' File:Starr 080305-3303 Adansonia digitata.jpg|''Adansonia digitata'' leaf File:Adansonia digitata (1).jpg|''Adansonia digitata'' flower File:Pollen of Adansonia or Baobab tree.jpg|''Adansonia'' pollen File:Baobab - seeds from one fruit, Adansonia digitata.jpg|''Adansonia digitata'' seeds from the fruit File:Raw baobab powder on white paper.jpg|Baobab powder 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 </gallery>
==References== <references>
<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>
</references>
== 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}}
==External links== {{EB1911 poster|Baobab}} * {{Commons-inline}} * {{Wikispecies-inline}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q157991}} {{Authority control}}
Category:Adansonia Category:Malvaceae genera Category:Botanical taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Category:Fruits originating in Africa Category:Fruits originating in Australia