?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 how biologists group and categorize extinct and living 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 Equisetophyta - horsetails Pteridophyta - true ferns Psilotophyta - whisk ferns Ophioglossophyta - adderstongues Seed plants (spermatophytes) †Pteridospermatophyta - seed ferns Pinophyta - conifers Cycadophyta - cycads Ginkgophyta... Classes Magnoliopsida - Dicots Liliopsida - Monocots The flowering plants (also called angiosperms) are the dominant and most familiar group of land plants. ... 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. In biology, a genus (plural genera) is a taxonomic grouping. ... The coniferous Coast Redwood, the tallest tree species on earth. ... A world map showing the continent of Africa. ... Water is a tasteless, odorless substance that is essential to all known forms of life and is known as the universal solvent. ... 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). ... The leaves of a Beech tree A leaf with laminar structure and pinnate venation In botany, a leaf is an above-ground plant organ specialized for photosynthesis. ... A tree trunk as found at the Veluwe, The Netherlands Wood is 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, altitude, 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. ... Limey shale overlaid by limestone. ...

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. ... Hi I am Adanson. ...

Uses

Adansonia digitata, Tarangire National Park in Tanzania

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. ... 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. ... The location of Sahel in Africa The Sahel (from Arabic ساحل, sahil, shore, border or coast of the Sahara desert) is the boundary zone in Africa between the Sahara to the north and the more fertile region to the south, known as the Sudan (not to be confused with the country... Porridge & Milk For the British TV comedy, see Porridge (TV series) Porridge (also known in American English as hot cereal or mush), is a simple dish made by boiling oats (normally crushed oats, occasionally oatmeal) or another meal in water, milk or both. ... A glass of cows milk Milk is the nutrient fluid produced by the mammary glands of female mammals (including monotremes). ... Soup is a savoury liquid 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. ... Fermentation typically refers to the conversion of sugar to alcohol using yeast. ... 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. ... Yarn drying after being dyed in the early American tradition, at Conner Prairie living history museum. ... 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). ... See also, List of Indigenous Australian group names Indigenous Australians 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.
• 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".

-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, drawn by Saint-Exupéry himself, chapter II The Little Prince (French Le Petit Prince), published in 1943, is French aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupérys most famous novel, which he wrote while staying at a hotel in New York City. ... Caernarfon Castle, Wales. ... Asteroid, minor planet, and planetoid are synonyms, and are used to indicate a diverse group of small celestial bodies that drift in the solar system in orbit around the Sun. ... Rafiki, overjoyed to discover that Simba is not dead. ... The Lion King is the 32nd animated feature in the Disney animated feature canon, and the third highest-grossing animated feature film ever released in the United States. ... Regina Spektor (born February 18, 1980) is a Russian-born American singer-songwriter and pianist. ... Orchestre Baobab is a Senegalese band. ... A bonsai trident maple growing in the root over rock style. ...

References and external links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Adansonia digitata

• Thomas Pakenham Remarkable Baobab (2004) 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

Boab Adansonia gregorii in Australia Image File history File links Commons-logo. ... Wikimedia Commons logo by Reid Beels The Wikimedia Commons (also called Commons or Wikicommons) is a repository of free content images, sound and other multimedia files. ... 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. ... Download high resolution version (1200x1600, 1157 KB)Boab (Adansonia gregorii) - free use photo from [1] This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... 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. ...