Adansonia digitata L.

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Photo: Bart Wursten
Hot Springs

Photo: Bart Wursten
Nyanyadzi, Save valley

Photo: Bart Wursten
Between Hot Springs Resort and Odzi R.

Photo: Bart Wursten
South of Kadoma

Photo: Bart Wursten
Near Mukondore River, by road in to Mana Pools

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Species details: Click on each item to see an explanation of that item (Note: opens a new window)

Synonyms:
Common names:	Baobab (English) Mbuyu (Shona) Muuyu (Shona) Umkhomo (Ndebele)
Frequency:	Common at low altitudes.
Status:	Native
Description:	Massive tree, not usually more than 20 m, but with a trunk up to 10 m in diameter. Stipules caducous. Leaves crowded at the ends of branches with a distinctive slightly unpleasant smell when crushed. Leaves (on very young plants) simple and sessile or 3-foliolate and petiolate (both types may be present together), entire or shallowly dentate. (See image no. 4). Leaves (on mature trees) 5-7-foliolate, palmate with petiole up to 12 cm. Leaflet lamina (mature trees) 5-15 × 3-7 cm, oblong-elliptic to obovate-elliptic, covered below when young with stellate hairs or glabrous. Flowers usually pendent. Petals 6(-10) × 7(-12) cm, white. Fruit up to c.25 × 12 cm, ovoid to oblong-cylindric, variable and sometimes irregular in shape, velvety-brown-tomentose. Seeds c.1.3 × 0.9 cm, many, reniform
Notes:	The tree is fibrous and non-woody, more like a giant succulent. The large white flowers typically open a dusk, falling by the next afternoon. The most likely agents of pollination are large moths or bats.
Derivation of specific name:	digitata: leaves divided into leaflets like the fingers on a hand
Habitat:	In woodland in hot dry areas.
Flowering time:	Oct - Dec
Worldwide distribution:	Throughout the drier low-altitude areas of Tropical Africa. Also in Madagascar.
Zimbabwe distribution:	N,W,C,E,S
Endemic status:
Red data list status:
Insects (whose larvae eat this species):
Spot characters:	Display spot characters for this species
Content last updated:	Sunday 11 March 2007
Literature:

Other sources of information about Adansonia digitata:

Flora of Zimbabwe: native/naturalised Adansonia digitata page
African Plant Database: Adansonia digitata
Biodiversity Explorer (Biodiversity of southern Africa): Adansonia digitata
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Adansonia digitata
ePIC (electronic Plant Information Center): Adansonia digitata
Flora Zambesiaca web site: Adansonia digitata
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
GRIN (Germplasm Resources Information Network) taxonomy for plants report for Adansonia digitata
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Adansonia digitata
JSTOR Plant Science: Adansonia digitata
Kew Herbarium catalogue: Adansonia digitata
Tropicos: Adansonia digitata
West African Plants database: Adansonia digitata