 Photo by: Tim Harvey.
How most non-Africans see the
baobabs of Senegal.
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The big and beautiful tree appears
only in the southern
part of Africa. First described by Carl Linaeus in 1759. It belongs to the Bombacaceae*
family. The trunk will get op to 15 meter wide and the tree up to 22
meters high. It can be reproduced by cuttings and seeds. Grows best in
grit, some water and sun in summer and dry in winter.
There are 6-10 species of Adansonias on Madagascar, one in the South
Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Mozambique and one in
the Kimberley region (Northern and Western Territory), Australia.
Named after the French naturalist Michel Adanson (1727-1806) and
digitata meaning hand-like, is in reference to the shape of the
leafs.
It has gourd/egg-formed green fruits, which can be 12 cm long, with
several seeds in a vitamin C hard-foam.
*This family might been incorporated
in the Malvaceae
family now. Sub-family: Bombacoideae,
tribe: Adansonieae.
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