Baobab
African Baobab
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Malvales Family: Malvaceae Genus: Adansonia
Species
See text Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1164x1738, 1822 KB) Photographer: quinn norton Title: Baobob tree in Africa Taken on: 2004-05-29 02:09:02 File links The following pages link to this file: Baobab ... Scientific classification or biological classification is a method by which biologists group and categorize species of organisms. ... Divisions Green algae Chlorophyta Charophyta Land plants (embryophytes) Non-vascular plants (bryophytes) Marchantiophyta - liverworts Anthocerotophyta - hornworts Bryophyta - mosses Vascular plants (tracheophytes) †Rhyniophyta - rhyniophytes †Zosterophyllophyta - zosterophylls Lycopodiophyta - clubmosses †Trimerophytophyta - trimerophytes Pteridophyta - ferns and horsetails Seed plants (spermatophytes) †Pteridospermatophyta - seed ferns Pinophyta - conifers Cycadophyta - cycads Ginkgophyta - ginkgo Gnetophyta - gnetae Magnoliophyta - flowering plants... It has been suggested that Angiospermae, and Anthophyta be merged into this article or section. ... Orders See text. ... Families Malvaceae (mallows,...) Dipterocarpaceae Sarcolaenaceae Cistaceae Muntingiaceae Bixaceae Diegodendraceae Cochlospermaceae Sphaerosepalaceae Thymelaeaceae Neuradaceae The Malvales are an order of flowering plants, mostly comprised of shrubs and trees. ... Subfamilies Bombacoideae Brownlowioideae Byttnerioideae Dombeyoideae Grewioideae Helicteroideae Malvoideae Sterculioideae Tilioideae Malvaceae is family of flowering plants containing Malva, the mallow genus, and its relatives. ...

The baobab (Adansonia), or monkey bread tree are a genus of eight species of trees, native to Madagascar (the centre of diversity, with six species), and mainland Africa and Australia (one species in each). The mainland African species also occurs in Madagascar, but it is not a native of that country. The species reach heights of between 5–25 m (exceptionally 30 m) tall, and up to 7 m (exceptionally 11 m) in trunk diameter. They are noted for storing water inside the swollen trunk, with the capacity to store up to 120,000 litres of water to endure the harsh drought conditions particular to each region [1]. All 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 as the wood does not produce annual growth rings, this is impossible to verify; few botanists give any credence to these claims of extreme age. For other uses of the word, please see Genus (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Tree (disambiguation). ... A world map showing the continent of Africa. ... Impact of a drop of water. ... An arid environment has a high precipitation deficit, receiving much less precipitation annually than would satisfy the climatological demand for evaporation and transpiration. ... Deciduous means temporary or tending to fall off (deriving from the Latin word decidere, to fall off). ... “Foliage” redirects here. ... Trunks A tree trunk as found at the Veluwe, The Netherlands Wood is a solid material derived from woody plants, notably trees but also shrubs. ... The growth rings of an unknown tree species, at Bristol Zoo, England. ... Botany is the scientific study of plant life. ...

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. Aerial photo of a portion of the Anjajavy Forest, inset by a swath of mangrove riparian forest. ... In ecology, a biome is a major regional group of distinctive plant and animal communities best adapted to the regions physical natural environment, latitude, elevation, and terrain. ... Anjajavy Forest is an element of the Madagascar dry deciduous forests situated on the Indian Ocean of northwest Madagascar. ... Karst topography is a three-dimensional landscape shaped by the dissolution of a soluble layer or layers of bedrock, usually carbonate rock such as limestone or dolomite. ... For other uses, see Limestone (disambiguation). ...

Species

• 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)

The name Adansonia honours Michel Adanson, the French naturalist and explorer who described A. digitata. Binomial name Adansonia digitata L. Adansonia digitata, also known as the African baobab, is the species of baobab that is naturally found in mainland Africa. ... A world map showing the continent of Africa. ... The baobabs (Adansonia) are a genus of eight species of trees, native to Madagascar (the centre of diversity, with six species), and Africa and Australia (one species in each). ... The baobabs (Adansonia) are a genus of eight species of trees, native to Madagascar (the centre of diversity, with six species), and Africa and Australia (one species in each). ... Binomial name Adansonia madagascariensis Adansonia madagascariensis is one of six species of baobab endemic to Madagascar, where it occurs in the Madagascar dry deciduous forests. ... Binomial name Adansonia rubrostipa Adansonia rubrostipa, commonly known as Fony Baobab is one of the eight species within the baobab genus, within the family Malvaceae. ... Hi I am Adanson. ...

Uses

Adansonia digitata, Tarangire National Park in Tanzania

The fruit is about 18 cm long

The leaves are also common as a leaf vegetable throughout the area of mainland African distribution, including Malawi, Zimbabwe, and the Sahel. They are eaten both fresh and in the form of a dry powder. In Nigeria, the leaves are locally known as kuka, and are used to make kuka soup. The dry pulp of the fruit, after separation from the seeds and fibers, is eaten directly or mixed into porridge or milk. The seeds are most 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 fibre, dye, and fuel. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (950x667, 227 KB) Monkey bread tree, Tarangire National Park in Tanzania. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (950x667, 227 KB) Monkey bread tree, Tarangire National Park in Tanzania. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1776x1728, 2871 KB) Related materials on Commons Adansonia digitata (baobab tree) Category:Zimbabwe See other categories at foot of page File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Adansonia... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1776x1728, 2871 KB) Related materials on Commons Adansonia digitata (baobab tree) Category:Zimbabwe See other categories at foot of page File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Adansonia... Fresh Swiss chard Fresh water spinach Creamed spinach Steamed kale Leaf vegetables, also called potherbs, greens, or leafy greens, are plant leaves eaten as a vegetable, sometimes accompanied by tender petioles and shoots. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... A glass of cows milk A goat kid feeding on its mothers milk Milk is the nutrient fluid secreted by the mammary glands of female mammals (including monotremes). ... Soup is a food that is made by combining ingredients, such as meat, vegetables and beans in stock or hot water, until the flavor is extracted, forming a broth. ... Beer fermenting at a brewery. ... Seasoning is the process of adding flavours, or enhancing natural flavour of any type of food. ... Roasting is cooking with dry heat, whether an open flame, oven, or other heat source. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with cooking oil. ... Fiber or fibre[1] is a class of materials that are continuous filaments or are in discrete elongated pieces, similar to lengths of thread. ... Look up dye in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Fuel is any material that is capable of releasing energy when its chemical or physical structure is changed or converted. ...

The Boab was used by Indigenous Australians as a source of water and food; the leaves were used 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 baobabs (Adansonia) are a genus of eight species of trees, native to Madagascar (the centre of diversity, with six species), and Africa and Australia (one species in each). ... Indigenous Australians or Aborigines[1][2] are the first human inhabitants of the Australian continent and its nearby islands. ... Botany is the scientific study of plant life. ... Boab tree at Derby. ... The 1890s were sometimes referred to as the Mauve Decade, because William Henry Perkins aniline dye allowed the widespread use of that colour in fashion, and also as the Gay Nineties, under the then-current usage of the word gay which referred simply to merriment and frivolity, with no...

Cultural references

• The baobab is the national tree of Madagascar [2].
• The baobab is occasionally known colloquially as "upside-down tree" (from the Arabic legend which claims that the devil pulled out the tree and planted it 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 castles") would grow on his small asteroid, take up all the space and even split it in pieces.
• 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 Senegalese band.
• Baobabs are also used for bonsai (the most popular being A. digitata).
• Progressive metal band Mouth of the Architect have a song on their album The Ties That Blind entitled "Baobab".
• Classical music composer Andi Spicer wrote a piece for percussion quartet called Baobab. There is also a version for harpsichord.
• Baobab is a serialized graphic novel by Igort, an Italian artist, published in the United States by Fantagraphics [3].
• 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."

-1... Sculpture of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and the little prince in Lyon Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (June 29, 1900 – July 31, 1944) was a French writer and aviator. ... The Little Prince (French Le Petit Prince), published in 1943, is French aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupérys most famous novel, which he wrote in the United States while renting The Bevin House in Asharoken, New York, on Long Island. ... Pierrefonds Castle, France Castle has a history of scholarly debate surrounding its exact meaning. ... 253 Mathilde, a C-type asteroid. ... Rafiki is an anthropomorphized mandrill who first appeared in the Walt Disney Pictures animated film The Lion King. ... The Lion King is a 1994 animated feature film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. ... Regina Spektor (Russian: ) (born February 18, 1980) is a Soviet-born American singer-songwriter and pianist. ... Orchestre Baobab is a Senegalese band. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Mouth of the Architect is an American atmospheric sludge metal band. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... A composer is a person who writes music. ... Andi Spicer in London. ... Percussion instruments are played by being struck, shaken, rubbed or scraped. ... Harpsichord in the Flemish style A harpsichord is any of a family of European keyboard instruments, including the large instrument currently called a harpsichord, but also the smaller virginals, the muselar virginals and the spinet. ... Fantagraphics Books is an American publisher of alternative comics, underground comics, classic comic strip anthologies, magazines, and graphic novels located in the Maple Leaf neighborhood of Seattle, Washington. ... Ernst Haeckel. ...

References and external links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Adansonia digitata

• Braun, Karl (1900) Beiträge zur Anatomie der Adansonia digitata L. F. Reinhardt, Universitäts-Buchdruckerei, Basel, OCLC 15926986
• Baum, David A.; Small Randall L. and Wendel, Jonathan F. (1998) "Biogeography and floral evolution of baobabs (Adansonia, Bombacaceae) as inferred from multiple data sets" Systematic Biology 47(2): pp. 181-207
• Pakenham, Thomas (2004) Remarkable Baobab Norton, New York, ISBN 0-297-84373-7
• Jardin Botanique et Pepiniere – Baobab species details
• Jardin Botanique et Pepiniere – Baobab photo gallery
• Madagascar info: Baobab photo gallery (Malagasy species only)
• Baobab: herbal information from King's American Dispensatory
• Baobab: Interactive Bibliography

Adansonia grandidieri near Morondava in Madagascar Image File history File links Commons-logo. ... Thomas Francis Dermot Pakenham, 8th Earl of Longford (born 14 August 1933), known simply as Thomas Pakenham, is an Anglo-Irish historian and arborist who has authored several prize winning books on the diverse subjects of Victorian and post-Victorian British history and trees. ... Image File history File links Baobab_Avenue_1. ... Morondava is a city located in the province of Toliara in Madagascar. ...

Boab Adansonia gregorii in Australia ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1280x960, 427 KB) Summary Photo taken (9th Aug 2003) and supplied by Nachoman-au. ... Binomial name Adansonia gregorii F.Muell. ...

Adansonia madagascariensis in a Madagascar dry deciduous forest Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2112x2816, 1256 KB) Summary photo by C. Michael Hogan, who releases rights to wikipedia Licensing File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Binomial name Adansonia madagascariensis Adansonia madagascariensis is one of six species of baobab endemic to Madagascar, where it occurs in the Madagascar dry deciduous forests. ... Aerial photo of a portion of the Anjajavy Forest, inset by a swath of mangrove riparian forest. ...