Baobab
The baobabs (Adansonia), occasionally known colloquially as "monkey-bread trees", 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 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. 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.
The Madagascan 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.
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 – Madagascan Baobab (Madagascar)
Adansonia perrieri – Perrier's Baobab (Madagascar)
Adansonia rubrostipa (syn. A. fony) – Fony Baobab (Madagascar)
Adansonia suarezensis – Suarez Baobab (Madagascar)
Adansonia za – Za Baobab (Madagascar)
The name Adansonia honours Michel Adanson, the French naturalist and explorer who described A. digitata.
Uses
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.
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.
Cultural references
The baobab is the national tree of Madagascar.
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.
Baobabs are also used as bonsai trees (possibly the most popular being A. digitata
2006-06-19 05:50:33
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answer #1
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answered by know it all 3
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African Tree Names
2016-11-09 23:36:55
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answer #2
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answered by ? 4
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I think I know what it is. It's called a baobob tree (bay-oh-bob...i think), which is also known as the upside-down tree, because it looks as if the trees branches are its roots, and are pointing up toward the sky. It does have a wierd shape. Imagine if you took a huge sauropod leg, wich was 7 feet wide and 18 feet tall. Now hollow it out and fill it with water. Cut off the top and expande the blood vessels so that they'r bulging. Now take the blood vessels and spread them out like a tree.
And there you go, a baobob.
2006-06-19 07:59:58
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answer #3
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answered by picsnap 3
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They are quite beautiful. We have in our garden, what the guy at the nursery call, a dwarf Bougainvillea. The flowers are a little smaller and it doesn't grow as wildly as the normal one. It requires a trim every 6 months or so, but no major maintenance.
2016-03-26 21:34:14
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answer #4
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answered by ? 4
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Baobab Tree (Adansonia digitata). As weird as it may sound, they are so huge some people use them as houses in places in africa such as Botswana. Their frut is edible and rich in vitamin C.
2006-06-19 04:43:14
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answer #5
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answered by Apollo 7
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Boabob
2006-06-19 04:43:14
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answer #6
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answered by DaddyBoy 4
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Boabab
2006-06-19 18:21:05
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answer #7
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answered by Dan S 6
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Baobab? They have a very large trunk, very famous in the book "Le Petit Prince"
2006-06-20 11:47:44
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answer #8
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answered by dramachick1602 1
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it is a Baobob Tree.
2006-06-19 04:43:32
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answer #9
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answered by R H 2
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Boabob - found in ghana
2006-06-19 04:48:10
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answer #10
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answered by taz 1
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