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Adansonia
Genus of plants known as baobab / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Adansonia is a genus made up of eight species of medium-to-large deciduous trees known as baobabs (/ˈbaʊbæb/ or /ˈbeɪoʊbæb/) or adansonias. They are placed in the Malvaceae family, subfamily Bombacoideae. They are native to Madagascar, mainland Africa, and Australia.[2] The trees have also been introduced to other regions such as Asia.[3] A genomic and ecological analysis has suggested that the genus is Madagascan in origin.[4]
Adansonia | |
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Adansonia digitata in Tanzania | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Rosids |
Order: | Malvales |
Family: | Malvaceae |
Subfamily: | Bombacoideae |
Genus: | Adansonia L.[1] |
Species | |
See species section |
The generic name honours Michel Adanson, the French naturalist and explorer who described Adansonia digitata.[5] The baobab is also known as the "upside down tree", a name that originates from several myths.[6] They are among the most long-lived of vascular plants[7] and have large flowers that are reproductive for a maximum of 15 hours.[8] The flowers open around dusk, opening so quickly that movement can be detected by the naked eye, and are faded by the next morning.[8] The fruits are large, oval to round and berry-like and hold kidney-shaped seeds in a dry, pulpy matrix.
In the early 21st century, baobabs in southern Africa began to die off rapidly from a cause yet to be determined. It is unlikely that disease or pests would be able to kill many trees so rapidly, and some have speculated that the die-off is a result of dehydration.[9][10]