Baobab

From New World Encyclopedia
(37 intermediate revisions by 4 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Redirect|Baobab}}
+
{{Copyedited}}{{Images OK}}{{Submitted}}{{Approved}}
 +
{{epname|Baobab}}
 
{{Taxobox
 
{{Taxobox
 
| name = Baobab
 
| name = Baobab
Line 14: Line 15:
 
| subdivision = See text
 
| subdivision = See text
 
}}
 
}}
 +
'''Baobab''' is the common name for any of the [[deciduous]] [[tree]]s comprising the [[flowering plant]] [[genus]] '''''Adansonia''''', a taxa of eight extant species native to [[Madagascar]], sub-Saharan [[Africa]], and [[Australia]]. Baobabs are often of enormous girth and store water inside their swollen trunks.
  
'''Baobab''' is the common name of a [[genus]] (''Adansonia'') containing eight species of [[tree]]s, native to [[Madagascar]] (the centre of diversity, with six species), mainland [[Africa]] and [[Australia]] (one species in each). The mainland African species also occurs on  Madagascar, but it is not a native of that country. Other common names include '''boab''', '''boaboa''', '''bottle tree''' and '''monkey bread tree'''.
+
Other common names include '''boab''', '''boaboa''', '''bottle tree''' (for their capacity to store water), and '''monkey bread tree''' (the soft, dry fruit is edible). The baobab is occasionally known colloquially as "upside-down tree," an appearance seen in those trees with a few [[root]]-like branches at the very top and a bare trunk going into the ground, particularly during seasons when there are no leaves. It is cited in an [[Arabs|Arabic]] legend in which the [[devil]] pulled out the tree and planted it upside down. It is also cited in older African lore: after creation, each of the animals was given a tree to plant and the [[hyena]] planted the baobab upside-down.
 +
{{toc}}
 +
The sheer massive size and unique form of baobabs add to the human enjoyment of [[nature]]. However, these trees also provide numerous practical benefits as well. The leaves are consumed as leaf [[vegetable]], the gourdlike [[fruit]] is very [[nutrition|nutritious]] and used directly or mixed with other foods, and the [[seed]]s are used in a variety of means, including roasted for direct consumption or used for their [[vegetable oil]]. Baobabs have been used by indigenous peoples as a source of [[water]], and rope and cloth are made from the fibrous inner bark. Baobabs also are used medicinally, and large trees, with their soft, spongy, and light wood, are even hollowed out for dwellings. [[Ecology|Ecologically]], besides being a food source for [[insect]]s, they also provide a source of food and water for [[elephant]]s in [[Africa]].
  
 
==Overview and description==
 
==Overview and description==
'''Malvaceae''', or the '''mallow family''', is a family of [[flowering plant]]s containing over 200 genera with close to 2,300 species <ref name:"Judd"> Judd & al. </ref>.
+
[[Image:baobabtre b3599.jpg|thumb|250px|left|''Adansonia digitata'', [[Tarangire National Park]] in [[Tanzania]]]]
 
+
[[Image:Adansonia grandidieri04.jpg|thumb|200px|right|''[[Adansonia grandidieri]]'', [[Madagascar]]]]
The largest genera in terms of number of species include ''[[Hibiscus]]'' (300 species), ''[[Sterculia]]'' (250 species), ''[[Dombeya]]'' (225 species), ''[[Pavonia (plant)|Pavonia]]'' (200 species) and ''[[Sida (genus)|Sida]]'' (200 species
+
[[Image:baoba_recife.jpg|thumb|200px|Baobab in [[Recife]]. Possible inspiration for [[Antoine de Saint-Exupéry|Saint Exupéry]]]]
 
+
Baobabs belong to the mallow family, '''Malvaceae''', a taxon of [[flowering plant]]s containing over 200 genera with close to 2,300 species (Judd et al. 2002). Most species are [[herb]]s or [[shrub]]s but some [[tree]]s (such as baobabs) and [[liana]]s are present. [[Leaf|Leaves]] are generally [[phyllotaxis|alternate]], often palmately lobed or compound and palmately veined. The margin may be entire, but when [[Leaf#Leaf_terminology|dentate]] a vein ends at the tip of each tooth ''(malvoid teeth)''. The [[stem]]s contain mucous canals and often also mucous cavities. The flowers are commonly borne in definite or indefinite axillary [[inflorescence]]s, which are often reduced to a single flower, but may also be cauliflorous, oppositifolious, or terminal. There are five imbricate [[petal]]s and the [[stamen]]s are five to numerous, [[connate]] at least at their bases, but often forming a tube around the [[pistil]]s. The pistils are composed of two to many connate [[carpel]]s. The [[ovary (botany)|ovary]] is superior, with axial placentation. The flowers have [[nectaries]] made of many tightly packed glandular [[trichome|hairs]], usually positioned on the sepals.
| name = Malvaceae
 
| image = Malva parviflora.jpg
 
| image_width = 240px
 
| image_caption = Least Mallow, ''Malva parviflora''
 
| regnum = [[Plant]]ae
 
| divisio = [[Flowering plant|Magnoliophyta]]
 
| classis = [[Dicotyledon|Magnoliopsida]]
 
| ordo = [[Malvales]]
 
| familia = '''Malvaceae'''
 
| familia_authority = [[Antoine Laurent de Jussieu|Juss.]]
 
| subdivision_ranks = Subfamilies
 
| subdivision = [[Bombacoideae]]<br/>
 
[[Brownlowioideae]]<br/>
 
[[Byttnerioideae]]<br/>
 
[[Dombeyoideae]]<br/>
 
[[Grewioideae]]<br/>
 
[[Helicteroideae]]<br/>
 
[[Malvoideae]]<br/>
 
[[Sterculioideae]]<br/>
 
[[Tilioideae]]
 
}}
 
 
 
'''Malvaceae''', or the '''mallow family''', is a family of [[flowering plant]]s containing over 200 genera with close to 2,300 species <ref name:"Judd"> Judd & al. </ref>.
 
 
 
The largest genera in terms of number of species include ''[[Hibiscus]]'' (300 species), ''[[Sterculia]]'' (250 species), ''[[Dombeya]]'' (225 species), ''[[Pavonia (plant)|Pavonia]]'' (200 species) and ''[[Sida (genus)|Sida]]'' (200 species{{Verify source|date=November 2007}}<!--- genus article say only half --->).  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
==Description==
 
Most species are [[herb]]s or [[shrub]]s but some [[tree]]s and [[liana]]s are present.
 
 
 
===Leaves and stems===
 
[[Image:Malva alcea pili NRM.jpg|Stellate hairs on the underside of a dried leaf of ''Malva alcea''|thumb]]
 
[[Leaf|Leaves]] are generally [[phyllotaxis|alternate]], often palmately lobed or compound and palmately veined. The margin may be entire, but when [[Leaf#Leaf_terminology|dentate]] a vein ends at the tip of each tooth (''malvoid teeth''). Stipules are present. The [[stem]]s contain mucous canals and often also mucous cavities. Hairs are common, and are most typically stellate.
 
 
 
The flowers are commonly borne in definite or indefinite axillary [[inflorescence]]s, which are often reduced to a single flower, but may also be cauliflorous, oppositifolious or terminal. They often bear supernumerary [[bract]]s. They can be unisexual or bisexual and are generally [[actinomorphic]], often associated with conspicuous [[bracts]], forming an [[epicalyx]]. They generally have five valvate [[sepal]]s, most frequently basally [[connate]]. Five imbricate [[petal]]s. The [[stamen]]s are five to numerous, [[connate]] at least at their bases, but often forming a tube around the [[pistil]]s. The [[pistil]]s are composed of two to many [[connate]] [[carpel]]s. The [[ovary (botany)|ovary]] is superior, with axial placentation. Capitate or lobed [[stigma]].
 
The flowers have [[nectaries]] made of many tightly packed glandular [[trichome|hairs]], usually positioned on the sepals.
 
Most often a loculicidal [[capsule (fruit)|capsule]], a [[schizocarp]] or [[nut]].
 
 
 
  
 +
'''''Adansonia''''' (the baobabs) is a small genus within Malvaceae, containing only eight extant species. Six of these species are native to [[Madagascar]], with one species each in sub-Saharan Africa and [[Australia]]. The mainland African species also occurs on  Madagascar, but it is not a native of that country.
  
 +
''Adansonia'' species reach a height of five to twenty-five meters (ten to eighty feet), with exceptional trees reaching thirty meters (100 feet). The trunk diameter can be particularly impressive, with a diameter often of seven meters (23 feet), and exceptional trees having a diameter over eleven meters (thirty-six feet). These are among the stoutest trees in the world. A specimen in [[Limpopo Province]] [[South Africa]], often considered the largest example alive, is said to have a [[girth]] (circumference) of 47 meters (155 feet) and an average diameter of 15 meters (forty nine feet) (Daily Mail 2007).
  
 +
However, comparison of girth and diameters of baobabs with other trees is difficult, because trunks of baobabs change in size at various times during the season due to the storage of water. Baobabs store [[water]] inside the swollen trunk, up to 120,000 liters (32,000 US gallons), an [[adaptation]] allowing them to endure the harsh drought conditions particular to each region (Moiselet 1998).
  
The species reach a height of 5–25&nbsp;m, 10-80ft (exceptionally 30&nbsp;m, 100ft), and often a trunk diameter of 7&nbsp;m, 23ft (exceptionally over 11&nbsp;m, 36ft). A specimen in [[Limpopo Province]] [[South Africa]], often considered the largest example alive, has a [[girth]] of 155 feet and an average diameter of 15&nbsp;m, 49ft.{{Fact|date=April 2008}} Baobabs store [[water]] inside the swollen trunk, up to 120,000 litres (32,000 US gallons), to endure the harsh drought conditions particular to each region.<ref>Senegal Online: [http://www.senegal-online.com/anglais/parcs-faune-flore/baobab.htm Baobabs]</ref> All occur in seasonally [[arid]] areas, and are [[deciduous]], shedding their [[leaf|leaves]] during the dry season. Some are reputed to be many thousands of years old, though this is impossible to verify as the [[wood]] does not produce annual [[growth ring]]s. Few [[botanist]]s believe these claims of extreme age; current evidence suggests they rarely exceed 400 years.<ref>Wilson, R. T. (1988). Vital statistics of the baobab (Adansonia digitata). ''African Journal of Ecology'' 26 (3): 197-206.</ref>
+
All baobabs occur in seasonally [[arid]] areas, and are [[deciduous]], shedding their [[leaf|leaves]] during the dry season. Some are reputed to be many thousands of years old, though this is impossible to verify as the [[wood]] does not produce annual [[growth ring]]s. Few [[botanist]]s believe these claims of extreme age; current evidence suggests they rarely exceed 400 years (Wilson 1988). A huge baobab in South Africa, which now has been made into a pub (McConnell 2007), has been claimed by its owners to have been carbon-dated at 6,000 years old (Daily Mail 2007).
 
 
The Malagasy species are important components of the [[Madagascar dry deciduous forests]].  Within that [[biome]], ''A. madagascariensis'' and ''A. rubrostipa'' occur specifically in the [[Anjajavy Forest]], sometimes growing out of the [[Karst topography|tsingy]] [[limestone]] itself.
 
  
 
== Species ==
 
== Species ==
  
* ''[[Adansonia digitata]]'' – African Baobab (western, northeastern, central & southern [[Africa]])
+
* ''[[Adansonia digitata]]'' – African Baobab (western, northeastern, central and southern [[Africa]])
 
* ''[[Adansonia grandidieri]]'' – Grandidier's Baobab ([[Madagascar]])
 
* ''[[Adansonia grandidieri]]'' – Grandidier's Baobab ([[Madagascar]])
 
* ''[[Adansonia gregorii]]'' (syn. ''A. gibbosa'') – Boab or Australian Baobab (northwest Australia)
 
* ''[[Adansonia gregorii]]'' (syn. ''A. gibbosa'') – Boab or Australian Baobab (northwest Australia)
Line 80: Line 46:
 
* ''[[Adansonia za]]'' – Za Baobab (Madagascar)
 
* ''[[Adansonia za]]'' – Za Baobab (Madagascar)
  
The name ''Adansonia'' honours [[Michel Adanson]], the [[France|French]] naturalist and explorer who described ''A. digitata''.
+
The Malagasy species are important components of the [[Madagascar dry deciduous forests]]. Within that [[biome]], ''A. madagascariensis'' and ''A. rubrostipa'' occur specifically in the [[Anjajavy Forest]], sometimes growing out of the [[Karst topography|tsingy]] [[limestone]] itself.
  
==Uses==
+
'''''Adansonia gregorii''''', commonly known as '''boab''', is the only baobab to occur in Australia. As with other [[baobab]]s, it is easily recognized by the swollen base of its trunk, which gives the tree a bottle-like appearance. Boab occurs in the [[Kimberley region of Western Australia|Kimberley]] region of [[Western Australia]], and east into the [[Northern Territory]]. It is a medium sized tree, usually growing to a height of nine to twelve meters. Trunks with a diameter of over five meters have been recorded. It loses its leaves during the dry winter period and producing new leaves and large white flowers in late spring.
  
 +
'''''Adansonia digitata''''' is found in the hot, dry regions of [[sub-Saharan Africa]]. The tree bears large, heavy white flowers. The fruits are filled with pulp that dries, hardens, and falls to pieces which look like chunks of powdery, dry bread.
 +
 +
The name ''Adansonia'' honors [[Michel Adanson]], the [[France|French]] naturalist and explorer who described ''A. digitata''. The specific epithet ''digitata'' refers to the fingers of a hand, which the five leaflets (typically zero in each cluster) bring to mind.
 +
 +
==Importance and uses==
 
[[Image:Baobab seeds.jpg|thumb|200px|The fruit is about 18 cm long]]
 
[[Image:Baobab seeds.jpg|thumb|200px|The fruit is about 18 cm long]]
The leaves are commonly used as a [[leaf vegetable]] throughout the area of mainland African distribution, including [[Malawi]], [[Zimbabwe]], and the [[Sahel]].  They are eaten both fresh and as a dry powder.  In [[Nigeria]], the leaves are locally known as '''kuka''', and are used to make kuka soup. 
 
  
The fruit is extremely nutritious and is known as sour gourd<ref>http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/50231604/50231604se21?single=1&query_type=word&queryword=Sour+gourd&first=1&max_to_show=10&hilite=50231604se21</ref> or monkey's bread. The dry pulp of the fruit, after separation from the seeds and fibers, is eaten directly or mixed into [[porridge]] or [[milk]].  In Malawi, the fruit pulp is used to make juice which is very rich in nutrients such as calcium and [[vitamin C]]. The shells are burned for heat. The fruit was once used in the production of [[tartar sauce]].<ref>Bioversity International: [http://news.bioversityinternational.org/index.php?itemid=1166 African fruit trees]</ref>  In various parts of East Africa, the dry fruit pulp is covered in sugary coating (usually with red coloring) and sold in packages as a sweet and sour candy called "boonya" or "bungha".
+
The leaves of baobabs commonly are used as a [[leaf vegetable]] throughout the area of mainland African distribution, including [[Malawi]], [[Zimbabwe]], and the [[Sahel]]. They are eaten both fresh and as a dry powder. In [[Nigeria]], the leaves are locally known as ''kuka'' and are used to make kuka soup.  
  
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]]. The tree also provides a source of [[fiber|fibre]], [[dye]], and [[fuel]].
+
The gourdlike [[fruit]] is edible and extremely nutritious and is known as sour gourd or monkey's bread. The dry pulp of the fruit, after separation from the seeds and fibers, is eaten directly or mixed into [[porridge]] or [[milk]]. In Malawi, the fruit pulp is used to make juice, which is very rich in nutrients such as [[calcium]] and [[vitamin C]]. The shells are burned for heat. The fruit was once used in the production of [[tartar sauce]] (Sulzberger). In various parts of East Africa, the dry fruit pulp is covered in sugary coating (usually with red coloring) and sold in packages as a sweet and sour candy called "boonya" or "bungha."
  
[[Indigenous Australians]] used baobabs as a source of water and food, and used leaves [[medicinal plants|medicinally]].  They also painted and carved the outside of the fruits and wore them as ornaments.  A very large, hollow boab south of [[Derby, Western Australia]] was used in the [[1890s]] as a lockup for Aboriginal prisoners on their way to Derby for sentencing. The [[Boab Prison Tree]] still stands and is now a tourist attraction.
+
The seeds of baobabs mostly are 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]]. The tree also provides a source of [[fiber]], [[dye]], and [[fuel]].
  
== In culture ==
+
[[Indigenous Australians]] used baobabs as a source of water and food and used leaves [[medicinal plants|medicinally]]. They also painted and carved the outside of the fruits and wore them as ornaments. Rope and cloth have been made from the bark.
[[Image:Adansonia grandidieri04.jpg|thumb|200px|right|''[[Adansonia grandidieri]]'', [[Madagascar]]]]
+
 
[[Image:baobabtre b3599.jpg|thumb|200px|''Adansonia digitata'', [[Tarangire National Park]] in [[Tanzania]]]]
+
Trunks of trees have been hollowed out for dwellings, or even places of business (Daily Mail 2007; McConnell 2007). A very large, hollow boab south of [[Derby, Western Australia]] was used in the 1890s as a lockup for Aboriginal prisoners on their way to Derby for sentencing. The [[Boab Prison Tree]] still stands and is now a tourist attraction.
[[Image:baoba_recife.jpg|thumb|200px|Baobab in [[Recife]]. Possible inspiration for [[Antoine de Saint-Exupéry|Saint Exupéry]]]]
 
* The baobab is the [[national tree]] of [[Madagascar]].<ref>Natural Africa: [http://www.naturallyafrica.org/country/madagascar/guide/guide-national-symbols.php Madagascar]</ref>
 
* Baobabs are also used for [[bonsai]] (the most popular being ''A. digitata'').
 
* The baobab is occasionally known colloquially as "upside-down tree". Cited in an [[Arabs|Arabic]] legend in which the [[devil]] pulled out the tree and planted it upside down. It is also cited in older African lore: after creation, each of the animals was given a tree to plant and the [[hyena]] planted the baobab upside-down.
 
* In [[Antoine de Saint-Exupéry]]'s story ''[[The Little Prince]]'', the Little Prince was worried that baobabs (described as "trees as big as [[church]]es") would grow on his small [[asteroid]], take up all the space and even cause it to explode.
 
* There is an important baobab tree in [[Kunta Kinte]]'s village in [[The Gambia]] from [[Alex Haley]]'s novel [[Roots: The Saga of an American Family]].
 
* [[Rafiki]], in ''[[The Lion King]]'', makes his home in a baobab tree.
 
* Singer [[Regina Spektor]] has a song called ''Baobabs'' that was released on the special edition of "[[Begin To Hope]]" (2006).
 
* [[Orchestra Baobab]] is a [[Senegal]]ese band.
 
* [[British people|British]]/[[South African]] composer [[Andi Spicer]] wrote a piece for percussion called ''Baobab''. There is also a version of the piece written for [[harpsichord]].
 
* [[Ernst Haeckel]] mentions "monkey bread-fruit trees (''Adansonia'')" in his ''The History of Creation'' (Chap. 29), and claims that their "individual life exceeds a period of five thousand years".
 
* The owners of Sunland Farm in [[Limpopo]], [[South Africa]] have built a [[pub]] called "The Big Baobab Pub" inside the hollow trunk of a 72ft high baobab. The tree, which is 155ft in circumference, 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 www.dailymail.co.uk] Retrieved [[2007-12-20]]</ref><ref>[http://driving.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/driving/article1289705.ece www.timesonline.co.uk] Retrieved [[2007-12-20]]</ref>
 
* In the movie ''[[FernGully: The Last Rainforest]]'', the evil spirit Hexxus is released when the baobab tree he is imprisoned in is cut down.
 
  
==References and external links==
+
Baobabs are also used for [[bonsai]] (the most popular being ''A. digitata'').
{{reflist}}
 
{{Commons|Adansonia digitata}}
 
* Braun, K. (1900) ''Beiträge zur Anatomie der Adansonia digitata L.'' F. Reinhardt, Universitäts-Buchdruckerei, Basel, [http://worldcat.org/oclc/15926986 OCLC 15926986]
 
* Baum, D. A., Small, R. L., & Wendel, J. F. (1998). Biogeography and floral evolution of baobabs (Adansonia, Bombacaceae) as inferred from multiple data sets. ''Systematic Biology'' 47 (2): 181-207.
 
* [[Thomas Pakenham|Pakenham, T.]] (2004). ''Remarkable Baobab''. Norton, New York, ISBN 0-297-84373-7
 
* Jardin Botanique et Pepiniere: [http://www.baobabs.com/Baobabs_species.htm Baobab species details]
 
* Jardin Botanique et Pepiniere: [http://www.baobabs.com/Baobabs_photos.htm Baobab photo gallery]
 
* Madagascar info: [http://www.madainfo.de/baobabs/ Baobab photo gallery (Malagasy species only)]
 
* ''King's American Dispensatory'': [http://www.henriettesherbal.com/eclectic/kings/adansonia.html Baobab: herbal information]
 
* [http://www.baobabfruitco.com/Eng/Bibliography.htmL Baobab: Interactive Bibliography]
 
* [http://www.celtnet.org.uk/recipes/herb-entry.php?term=Baobab%20leaves Baobab leaves: from "Celtnet Herb Guide"]
 
  
 
== Gallery ==
 
== Gallery ==
Line 127: Line 73:
 
<gallery>
 
<gallery>
 
Image:Baobab Avenue 1.JPG|''[[Adansonia grandidieri]]'', [[Avenue of the Baobabs]], [[Madagascar]]
 
Image:Baobab Avenue 1.JPG|''[[Adansonia grandidieri]]'', [[Avenue of the Baobabs]], [[Madagascar]]
Image:Baobabamrazorback.jpg|''[[Adansonia madagascariensis]]'' in a [[Madagascar dry deciduous forest]]
+
Image:SAbaobab.jpg|Baobab in [[Kruger National Park]], [[South Africa]]
 
Image:Adansonia grandidieri02.jpg|''Adansonia grandidieri'', Madagascar
 
Image:Adansonia grandidieri02.jpg|''Adansonia grandidieri'', Madagascar
 
Image:Adansonia grandidieri03.jpg|''Adansonia grandidieri'', Madagascar
 
Image:Adansonia grandidieri03.jpg|''Adansonia grandidieri'', Madagascar
Image:SAbaobab.jpg|Baobab in [[Kruger National Park]], [[South Africa]]
 
 
Image:Derby boab, Western Australia.jpg|Boab ''[[Adansonia gregorii]]'' in Australia
 
Image:Derby boab, Western Australia.jpg|Boab ''[[Adansonia gregorii]]'' in Australia
 
Image:Baobab Flowers.jpg|Baobab flowers in Mulund, [[Mumbai, India]]
 
Image:Baobab Flowers.jpg|Baobab flowers in Mulund, [[Mumbai, India]]
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
 +
 +
==References==
 +
* Baum, D. A., R. L. Small, and J. F. Wendel. 1998. Biogeography and floral evolution of baobabs (Adansonia, Bombacaceae) as inferred from multiple data sets. ''Systematic Biology'' 47 (2): 181-207.
 +
* Daily Mail. 2007. [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 19, 2007. Retrieved June 8, 2008.
 +
* Judd, W. S., C. S. Campbell, E. A. Kellogg, P. F. Stevens, and M. J. Donoghue. 2002. ''Plant Systematics: A Phylogenetic Approach'', 2nd ed. Sunderland, MA: Sinauer Associates. ISBN 0878934030.
 +
* McConnell, T. 2007. [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] ''Times Online'' January 7, 2007. Retrieved June 8, 2008.
 +
* Moiselet, D. 1998. The baobab tree. ''Senegal Online''.
 +
* Pakenham, T. 2004. ''Remarkable Baobab''. New York: Norton. ISBN 0297843737.
 +
* Sulzberger, E. n.d. [http://news.bioversityinternational.org/index.php?itemid=1166 Scientists predict African fruit trees could help solve major public health problem] ''Bioversity International''. Retrieved June 8, 2008.
 +
* Wilson, R. T. 1988. Vital statistics of the baobab (Adansonia digitata). ''African Journal of Ecology'' 26(3): 197-206.
 +
 +
==External links==
 +
All links retrieved April 28, 2021.
 +
* Jardin Botanique et Pepiniere, [http://www.baobabs.com/Baobabs_species.htm Baobab species details].
  
 
[[Category:Life sciences]]
 
[[Category:Life sciences]]
 
[[Category:Plants]]
 
[[Category:Plants]]
  
{{credit|Adansonia|213214509|Malvaceae|214237772}}
+
{{credit|Adansonia|213214509|Malvaceae|214237772|Adansonia_digitata|215645010}}

Revision as of 17:30, 17 December 2022

Baobab
African Baobab
African Baobab
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Malvales
Family: Malvaceae
Genus: Adansonia
Species

See text

Baobab is the common name for any of the deciduous trees comprising the flowering plant genus Adansonia, a taxa of eight extant species native to Madagascar, sub-Saharan Africa, and Australia. Baobabs are often of enormous girth and store water inside their swollen trunks.

Other common names include boab, boaboa, bottle tree (for their capacity to store water), and monkey bread tree (the soft, dry fruit is edible). The baobab is occasionally known colloquially as "upside-down tree," an appearance seen in those trees with a few root-like branches at the very top and a bare trunk going into the ground, particularly during seasons when there are no leaves. It is cited in an Arabic legend in which the devil pulled out the tree and planted it upside down. It is also cited in older African lore: after creation, each of the animals was given a tree to plant and the hyena planted the baobab upside-down.

The sheer massive size and unique form of baobabs add to the human enjoyment of nature. However, these trees also provide numerous practical benefits as well. The leaves are consumed as leaf vegetable, the gourdlike fruit is very nutritious and used directly or mixed with other foods, and the seeds are used in a variety of means, including roasted for direct consumption or used for their vegetable oil. Baobabs have been used by indigenous peoples as a source of water, and rope and cloth are made from the fibrous inner bark. Baobabs also are used medicinally, and large trees, with their soft, spongy, and light wood, are even hollowed out for dwellings. Ecologically, besides being a food source for insects, they also provide a source of food and water for elephants in Africa.

Overview and description

Adansonia digitata, Tarangire National Park in Tanzania
Adansonia grandidieri, Madagascar
Baobab in Recife. Possible inspiration for Saint Exupéry

Baobabs belong to the mallow family, Malvaceae, a taxon of flowering plants containing over 200 genera with close to 2,300 species (Judd et al. 2002). Most species are herbs or shrubs but some trees (such as baobabs) and lianas are present. Leaves are generally alternate, often palmately lobed or compound and palmately veined. The margin may be entire, but when dentate a vein ends at the tip of each tooth (malvoid teeth). The stems contain mucous canals and often also mucous cavities. The flowers are commonly borne in definite or indefinite axillary inflorescences, which are often reduced to a single flower, but may also be cauliflorous, oppositifolious, or terminal. There are five imbricate petals and the stamens are five to numerous, connate at least at their bases, but often forming a tube around the pistils. The pistils are composed of two to many connate carpels. The ovary is superior, with axial placentation. The flowers have nectaries made of many tightly packed glandular hairs, usually positioned on the sepals.

Adansonia (the baobabs) is a small genus within Malvaceae, containing only eight extant species. Six of these species are native to Madagascar, with one species each in sub-Saharan Africa and Australia. The mainland African species also occurs on Madagascar, but it is not a native of that country.

Adansonia species reach a height of five to twenty-five meters (ten to eighty feet), with exceptional trees reaching thirty meters (100 feet). The trunk diameter can be particularly impressive, with a diameter often of seven meters (23 feet), and exceptional trees having a diameter over eleven meters (thirty-six feet). These are among the stoutest trees in the world. A specimen in Limpopo Province South Africa, often considered the largest example alive, is said to have a girth (circumference) of 47 meters (155 feet) and an average diameter of 15 meters (forty nine feet) (Daily Mail 2007).

However, comparison of girth and diameters of baobabs with other trees is difficult, because trunks of baobabs change in size at various times during the season due to the storage of water. Baobabs store water inside the swollen trunk, up to 120,000 liters (32,000 US gallons), an adaptation allowing them to endure the harsh drought conditions particular to each region (Moiselet 1998).

All baobabs occur in seasonally arid areas, and are deciduous, shedding their leaves during the dry season. Some are reputed to be many thousands of years old, though this is impossible to verify as the wood does not produce annual growth rings. Few botanists believe these claims of extreme age; current evidence suggests they rarely exceed 400 years (Wilson 1988). A huge baobab in South Africa, which now has been made into a pub (McConnell 2007), has been claimed by its owners to have been carbon-dated at 6,000 years old (Daily Mail 2007).

Species

  • Adansonia digitata – African Baobab (western, northeastern, central and southern Africa)
  • Adansonia grandidieri – Grandidier's Baobab (Madagascar)
  • Adansonia gregorii (syn. A. gibbosa) – Boab or Australian Baobab (northwest Australia)
  • Adansonia madagascariensis – Madagascar Baobab (Madagascar)
  • Adansonia perrieri – Perrier's Baobab (North Madagascar)
  • Adansonia rubrostipa (syn. A. fony) – Fony Baobab (Madagascar)
  • Adansonia suarezensis – Suarez Baobab (Diego Suarez, Madagascar)
  • Adansonia za – Za Baobab (Madagascar)

The Malagasy species are important components of the Madagascar dry deciduous forests. Within that biome, A. madagascariensis and A. rubrostipa occur specifically in the Anjajavy Forest, sometimes growing out of the tsingy limestone itself.

Adansonia gregorii, commonly known as boab, is the only baobab to occur in Australia. As with other baobabs, it is easily recognized by the swollen base of its trunk, which gives the tree a bottle-like appearance. Boab occurs in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, and east into the Northern Territory. It is a medium sized tree, usually growing to a height of nine to twelve meters. Trunks with a diameter of over five meters have been recorded. It loses its leaves during the dry winter period and producing new leaves and large white flowers in late spring.

Adansonia digitata is found in the hot, dry regions of sub-Saharan Africa. The tree bears large, heavy white flowers. The fruits are filled with pulp that dries, hardens, and falls to pieces which look like chunks of powdery, dry bread.

The name Adansonia honors Michel Adanson, the French naturalist and explorer who described A. digitata. The specific epithet digitata refers to the fingers of a hand, which the five leaflets (typically zero in each cluster) bring to mind.

Importance and uses

The fruit is about 18 cm long

The leaves of baobabs commonly are used as a leaf vegetable throughout the area of mainland African distribution, including Malawi, Zimbabwe, and the Sahel. They are eaten both fresh and as a dry powder. In Nigeria, the leaves are locally known as kuka and are used to make kuka soup.

The gourdlike fruit is edible and extremely nutritious and is known as sour gourd or monkey's bread. The dry pulp of the fruit, after separation from the seeds and fibers, is eaten directly or mixed into porridge or milk. In Malawi, the fruit pulp is used to make juice, which is very rich in nutrients such as calcium and vitamin C. The shells are burned for heat. The fruit was once used in the production of tartar sauce (Sulzberger). In various parts of East Africa, the dry fruit pulp is covered in sugary coating (usually with red coloring) and sold in packages as a sweet and sour candy called "boonya" or "bungha."

The seeds of baobabs mostly are used as a thickener for soups, but may also be fermented into a seasoning, roasted for direct consumption, or pounded to extract vegetable oil. The tree also provides a source of fiber, dye, and fuel.

Indigenous Australians used baobabs as a source of water and food and used leaves medicinally. They also painted and carved the outside of the fruits and wore them as ornaments. Rope and cloth have been made from the bark.

Trunks of trees have been hollowed out for dwellings, or even places of business (Daily Mail 2007; McConnell 2007). A very large, hollow boab south of Derby, Western Australia was used in the 1890s as a lockup for Aboriginal prisoners on their way to Derby for sentencing. The Boab Prison Tree still stands and is now a tourist attraction.

Baobabs are also used for bonsai (the most popular being A. digitata).

Gallery

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

External links

All links retrieved April 28, 2021.

Credits

New World Encyclopedia writers and editors rewrote and completed the Wikipedia article in accordance with New World Encyclopedia standards. This article abides by terms of the Creative Commons CC-by-sa 3.0 License (CC-by-sa), which may be used and disseminated with proper attribution. Credit is due under the terms of this license that can reference both the New World Encyclopedia contributors and the selfless volunteer contributors of the Wikimedia Foundation. To cite this article click here for a list of acceptable citing formats.The history of earlier contributions by wikipedians is accessible to researchers here:

The history of this article since it was imported to New World Encyclopedia:

Note: Some restrictions may apply to use of individual images which are separately licensed.