Adansonia

Plant Characteristics

Cultivation

Scientific Names
Bombaceae >	Adansonia >

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Adansonia is a genus of eight species of tree, six native to Madagascar, one native to mainland Africa and one to Australia. The mainland African species also occurs on Madagascar, but it is not a native of that island.

A typical common name is baobab. Other common names include boab, boaboa, bottle tree, upside-down tree, and monkey bread tree. The generic name honours Michel Adanson, the French naturalist and explorer who described A. digitata. Template:TOC limit

Adansonias reach heights of 5 to 30 m and have trunk diameters of 7 to 11 m. Glencoe Baobab - an African Baobab specimen in Limpopo Province, South Africa, often considered the largest example alive, up to recent times had a circumference of 47 m ft .^[1] Its diameter is estimated at about 15.9 m ft . Recently the tree split up into two parts and it is possible that the stoutest tree now is Sunland Baobab, also in South Africa. Diameter of this tree is 10.64 m, approximate circumference - 33.4 metres.

Some baobabs are reputed to be many thousands of years old, which is difficult to verify as the wood does not produce annual growth rings, though radiocarbon dating may be able to provide age data.

Read about Adansonia in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture
Adansonia (named after M. Adanson, French botanist). Bombacaceae. A genus of 8 species of tropical shrubs and trees, closely related to Bombax: fls. large, pendulous; petals 5, white, obovate; stamens numerous, united in a column about the styles; ovary 5-10-celled: fr. oblong, woody, indehiscent, filled with a mealy pulp in which are numerous seeds. ^CH The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.

Cultivation

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Propagation

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Pests and diseases

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Species

Species^wp

Adansonia digitata – African Baobab (northeastern, central & 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)