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Adansonia Information

Adansonia is a genus of eight species of tree, six native to Madagascar, one native to mainland Africa and the Arabian Peninsula and one to Australia. The mainland African species also occurs on Madagascar, but it is not a native of that island.

A typical common name is baobab. Other common names include boab, boaboa, bottle tree, upside-down tree, and monkey bread tree. The generic name honours Michel Adanson, the French naturalist and explorer who described A. digitata.

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Description

Adansonias reach heights of 5 to 30 metres (16 to 98 ft) and have trunk diameters of 7 to 11 metres (23 to 36 ft). Glencoe Baobab - an African Baobab specimen in Limpopo Province, South Africa, often considered the largest example alive, up to recent times had a circumference of 47 metres (154 ft).[1] Its diameter is estimated at about 15.9 metres (52 ft). Recently the tree split up into two parts and it is possible that the stoutest tree now is Sunland Baobab, also in South Africa. Diameter of this tree is 10.64 m, approximate circumference - 33.4 metres.

Some baobabs are reputed to be many thousands of years old, which is difficult to verify as the wood does not produce annual growth rings, though radiocarbon dating may be able to provide age data.

Occurrence

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.

A. digitata has been photographed growing in salt plains and by the sea, so may be a halophyte (salt tolerant).[2][3]

Species

Adansonia digitata young tree in Hyderabad, India

Water storage

Baobabs store water inside the swollen trunk (up to 120,000 litres (32,000 US gal)) to endure the harsh drought conditions particular to each region.[4] All occur in seasonally arid areas, and are deciduous, shedding their leaves during the dry season.

Uses

The fruit is about 18 cm long

Since 2008, there has been increasing interest for developing baobab as a nutrient-rich raw material for consumer products.[5][6]

The leaves are commonly used as a leaf vegetable throughout the area of mainland African distribution, including Malawi, Zambia,Zimbabwe, and the Sahel. They are eaten both fresh and as a dry powder. In Nigeria, the leaves are locally known as kuka, and are used to make kuka soup.[7]

The fruit is nutritious possibly having more vitamin C than oranges and exceeding the calcium content of cow's milk.[8] Also known as "sour gourd" or "monkey's bread", the dry fruit pulp separated from seeds and fibers is eaten directly or mixed into porridge or milk. In Malawi, the fruit pulp is used to make a nutrient-rich juice.[8] In Zimbabwe the fruit is known as mawuyu in the shona language and has long been a traditional fruit. In the coastal areas of Kenya baobab seeds are called mabuyu and are cooked with sugar, colored, and sold as a snack.[citation needed] Mabuyu is also the term used in Tanzania for seeds of the calabash gourd, which are prepared in a similar fashion.

The fruit can be used to produce cream of tartar.[9] In various parts of East Africa, the dry fruit pulp is covered in sugary coating (usually with red coloring) and sold in packages as a sweet and sour candy called "ubuyu".

The seeds are mostly 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 fiber, dye, and fuel.

The dry pulp is either eaten fresh or used to add to gruels on cooling after cooking – a good way of preserving the vitamin contents. It can also be ground to make a refreshing drink with a pleasing wine-gum flavour. In Tanzania, it is added to aid fermentation of sugar cane for beer making.[10]

Pulp can be stored for fairly long periods for use in soft drink production but it needs airtight containers. Storage is improved by the use of sodium metabisulphite (Ibiyemi et al., 1988). It can also be frozen if ground to a powder .

Adansonia grandidieri, Madagascar Baobab in Recife

Indigenous Australians used baobabs as a source of water and food, and used leaves medicinally. They also painted and carved the outside of the fruits and wore them as ornaments. A very large, hollow baobab south of Derby, Western Australia was used in the 1890s as a prison for Aboriginal convicts on their way to Derby for sentencing. The Boab Prison Tree still stands and is now a tourist attraction.

The whole fruit of the baobab is not available in the EU as current EU legislations from 1997 dictate that foods not commonly consumed in the EU have to be formally approved before going on sale. On 15 July 2008, the EU authorised the use of Baobab Dried Fruit Pulp as a food ingredient in smoothies and cereal bars.[11] More recently, Baobab Dried Fruit Pulp achieved GRAS status for these same food uses.[12]

Traditional uses of the whole fruit are unlikely outside of Africa as the fruit will be processed for export as a white powder with a cheese-like texture to be used as an ingredient in products.[8]

Culture and myths

Gallery

Adansonia digitata, Tarangire National Park in Tanzania

Adansonia grandidieri, Avenue of the Baobabs, Madagascar

Adansonia madagascariensis in a Madagascar dry deciduous forest

Baobab (Adansonia digitata) in Kruger National Park, South Africa

Boab Adansonia gregorii in Australia

Baobab flowers in Mulund, Mumbai, India

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Adansonia

Notes

  1. ^ "Big Baobab Facts". http://www.bigbaobab.co.za/baobab.html. Retrieved 2008-01-08.
  2. ^ http://www.arkive.org/baobab/adansonia-digitata/image-G50349.html – Baobab growing in a salt plain (access date 2010-07-19)
  3. ^ http://www.mail-archive.com/indiantreepix@googlegroups.com/msg08234.html – Baobabs growing close to the sea (access date 2010-07-19)
  4. ^ "The Baobab tree in Senegal". http://www.senegal-online.com/anglais/parcs-faune-flore/baobab.htm. Retrieved 2008-10-01.
  5. ^ "Scientists predict African fruit trees could help solve major public health problem". Bioversity International. http://news.bioversityinternational.org/index.php?itemid=1166. Retrieved 2008-10-01.
  6. ^ Hills S. "Baobab goes for GRAS ahead of 2010 World Cup" FoodNavigator.com-USA, September 30, 2008
  7. ^ http://blog.notcutts.co.uk/latest-articles/2010/9/13/the-oldest-trees-in-the-world.html – The oldest trees in the world (access date 2010-09-13)
  8. ^ a b c "New exotic fruit to hit UK shops". BBC. 2008-07-15. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7506997.stm. Retrieved 2008-07-15.
  9. ^ "Baobab tree -- a miracle of nature". Geo-Images Project. October 2000. http://geoimages.berkeley.edu/Geoimages/Johnson/Biomes/BiomesAfrica/Baobabtree.html. Retrieved 2010-02-12.
  10. ^ http://www.baobab.kansaspalms.com M. Sidibe and J. T. Williams 2002. Baobab International Centre for Underutilised Crops, University of Southampton
  11. ^ Statement from UK Food Standards Agency
  12. ^ FDA website
  13. ^ Fancy a pint in the world's only bar that's INSIDE a tree?, Daily Mail, December 2007 Retrieved 20 December 2007
  14. ^ Of all the gin joints in all the world, Tristan McConnell in the Big Baobab Pub, Modjadjiskloof, South Africa, The Times, January 2007, Retrieved 20 December 2007

Further reading

Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article Baobab.

Categories: Adansonia | Crops originating from Africa

 

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