Description
Botanical nomenclature: Adansonia digitata / Baobabus digitata Common name: African baobab Country: Africa Height: 20 meters high & 11 meters in diameter Kingdom: Plantae Clade: Tracheophytes Clade: Angiosperms Clade: Eudicots Clade: Rosids Order: Malvales Family: Malvaceae Genus: Adansonia Species: A. digitata Adansonia digitata, the African baobab, is the most widespread tree species of the genus Adansonia, the baobabs, & is native to the African continent & the southern Arabian Peninsula (Yemen, Oman). These are long-lived pachycauls; radiocarbon dating has shown some individuals to be over 2000 years old. They are typically found in dry, hot savannas of sub-Saharan Africa, where they dominate the landscape & reveal the presence of a watercourse from afar. They have traditionally been valued as sources of food, water, health remedies or places of shelter & are a key food source for many animals. They are steeped in legend & superstition. in recent years, many of the largest, oldest trees have died, possibly due to climate change. Common names for the baobab include monkey-bread tree, upside-down tree, & cream of tartar tree. African baobabs are trees that often grow as solitary individuals, & are large & distinctive elements of savanna or scrubland vegetation. They grow from 5-25 m (16-82 ft) tall. The trunk is typically very broad & fluted or cylindrical, often with a buttressed, spreading base. Trunks may reach a diameter of 10-14 m (33-46 ft), & may be made up of multiple stems fused around a hollow core. The hollow core found in many tree species is the result of wood removal, such as decay of the oldest, internal part of the trunk. in baobabs, however, many of the largest & oldest of the trees have a hollow core that is the result of a fused circle of three to eight stems sprouting from roots. The bark is gray & usually smooth. Main branches can be massive. All baobabs are deciduous, losing their leaves in the dry season, & remaining leafless for about eight months of the year. Flowers are large, white & hanging. Fruits are rounded with a thick shell. Flowering occurs in both the dry & the wet season. Buds are rounded with a cone-shaped tip. Flowers are showy & sometimes paired, but usually produced singly at the end of a 15-90 cm long hanging stalk. The calyx is typically made up of 5 (sometimes 3) green triangular bent-back lobes (sepals) with a cream-coloured, hairy interior. The petals are white, roughly the same width & length - up to 8 cm, & are crumpled in bud. Flowers open during the late afternoon, staying open & fertile for only one night. The fresh flowers have a sweet scent, but after about 24 hours, they start to turn brown & emit a carrion smell. The androecium is white & made up of a 3-6 cm long tube of fused stamens (a staminal tube) surrounded by unfused (free) filaments 3-5 cm long. There are a large number of stamens, 720-1600 per flower. Styles are white, growing through the staminal tube & projecting beyond it. They
