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38-427: This 6,400 hectares (16,000 acres) reserve is 30 kilometres (19 mi) north-east of the city of Morondava and 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) from Baoababs' Alley in western Madagascar. Altitude ranges from sea level to 100 metres (330 ft). The annual rainfall is 900 millimetres (35 in) and can be visited throughout the year, including the wet season (December to March). There is no overnight accommodation within

76-508: A UNESCO World Heritage Site , is located 150 km north of Morondava. The road from Morondava is poor, but Tsingy de Bemaraha is reachable by 4x4 in approximately 10 hours. In the South there is the Andranomena Reserve . Kirindy Forest at 20°04′12″S 44°36′07″E  /  20.070000°S 44.601944°E  / -20.070000; 44.601944  ( Kirindy Forest ) is

114-459: A central tube (staminal tube) made up of fused stalks of stamens (filaments), with unfused filaments above. A densely hairy ovary is enclosed in the staminal tube, and a long style tipped with a stigma emerges from the filaments. Petals are set near the base of the staminal tube and are variable in shape and colour. The flowers, when fresh, may be white, cream, bright yellow or dark red, but fade quickly, often turning reddish when dried. The fruit of

152-495: 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 . Baobabs are long-lived deciduous, small to large trees from 5 to 30 m (20 to 100 ft) tall with broad trunks and compact crowns. Young trees usually have slender, tapering trunks, often with

190-572: A few individuals of A. digitata . The Panke baobab in Zimbabwe was some 2,450 years old when it died in 2011, making it the oldest angiosperm ever documented, and two other trees— Dorslandboom in Namibia and Glencoe in South Africa—were estimated to be approximately 2,000 years old. Another specimen known as Grootboom was dated and found to be at least 1,275 years old. The Glencoe Baobab ,

228-585: A nature reserve about 60 km from Morondava where many of the local species of lemurs as well as other plants and animals can be spotted during a day or night trip. French international schools: There are also 4 mosques in Morandava. Morondava is twinned with: Baobab See species section Adansonia is a genus made up of eight species of medium-to-large deciduous trees known as baobabs ( / ˈ b aʊ b æ b / or / ˈ b eɪ oʊ b æ b / ) or adansonias . They are placed in

266-589: A specimen of A. digitata in Limpopo Province , South Africa, was considered to be the largest living individual, with a maximum circumference of 47 m (154 ft) and a diameter of about 15.9 m (52 ft). The tree has since split into two parts, so the widest individual trunk may now be that of the Sunland Baobab , or Platland tree, also in South Africa. The diameter of this tree at ground level

304-550: A swollen base. Mature trees have massive trunks that are bottle-shaped or cylindrical and tapered from bottom to top. The trunk is made of fibrous wood arranged in concentric rings, although rings are not always formed annually and so cannot be used to determine the age of individual trees. Tree diameter fluctuates with rainfall so it is thought that water may be stored in the trunk. Baobab trees have two types of shoots—long, green vegetative ones, and stout, woody reproductive ones. Branches can be massive and spread out horizontally from

342-473: Is 9.3 m (31 ft) and its circumference at breast height is 34 m (112 ft). Two large baobabs growing in Tsimanampetsotse National Park were also studied using radiocarbon dating. One called Grandmother is made up of three fused trunks of different ages, with the oldest part of the tree an estimated 1,600 years old. The second, "polygamous baobab", has six fused stems, and

380-779: Is a city located in Menabe Region, of which it is the capital, in Madagascar . It is located in the delta of the Morondava River at 20°17′5″S 44°19′3″E  /  20.28472°S 44.31750°E  / -20.28472; 44.31750 . Its population as of the 2018 census, was 53,510. The predominant tribe is the Sakalava . But there are also a few Betsileo , Tsimihety , Merina , Makoa as well as Europeans . Air Madagascar has regular scheduled flights to Morondava Airport . The main road to town has been renovated recently. With

418-430: Is also known as the "upside down tree", a name that originates from several myths. They are among the most long-lived of vascular plants and have large flowers that are reproductive for a maximum of 15 hours. The flowers open around dusk, opening so quickly that movement can be detected by the naked eye, and are faded by the next morning. The fruits are large, oval to round and berry-like and hold kidney-shaped seeds in

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456-705: Is an estimated 1,000 years old. The tree's leaves may be eaten as a leaf vegetable . The white pith in the fruit of the Australian baobab ( A. gregorii ) tastes like sherbet . It has an acidic, tart, citrus flavor. It is a good source of vitamin C , potassium, carbohydrates, and phosphorus. The dried fruit powder of A. digitata , baobab powder, contains about 11% water, 80% carbohydrates (50% fiber), and modest levels of various nutrients, including riboflavin , calcium , magnesium , potassium , iron, and phytosterols , with low levels of protein and fats. Vitamin C content, described as variable in different samples,

494-639: Is needed to determine if recognition of them as a separate species is warranted. The genus Adansonia is further divided into three sections. Section Adansonia includes only A. digitata . This species has hanging flowers and fruit, set on long flowering stalks. This is the type species for the genus Adansonia . All species of Adansonia except A. digitata are diploid ; A. digitata is tetraploid . Section Brevitubae includes A. grandidieri and A. suarexensis . These are species with flower buds that set on short pedicles and that are approximately twice as long as wide. The other species are all classified within

532-584: Is not a native of that island. Baobabs were introduced in ancient times to south Asia and during the colonial era to the Caribbean. They are also present in the island nation of Cape Verde . A ninth species was described in 2012 ( Adansonia kilima Pettigrew, et al. ) but is no longer recognized as a distinct species. The African and Australian baobabs are similar in appearance, and the oldest splits within Adansonia are likely no older than 15 million years; thus,

570-533: Is the smallest species of mouse lemur; an endangered species , Pale fork-marked lemur ( Phaner pallescens ); red-tailed sportive lemur ( Lepilemur ruficaudatus ) also vulnerable; and the Fossa ( Cryptoprocta ferox ), a cat-like, carnivore and also a vulnerable species. The reserve is threatened by poaching, illegal felling of trees and slash-and-burn agriculture. Morondava Morondava ( [murunˈdav̥] , from Malagasy : morona lava "long coast" )

608-521: The Kubitzki system 2003. There are eight accepted species of Adansonia . A new species ( Adansonia kilima Pettigrew, et al.), was described in 2012, found in high-elevation sites in eastern and southern Africa. This, however, is no longer recognized as a distinct species but considered a synonym of A. digitata . Some high-elevation trees in Tanzania show different genetics and morphology, but further study

646-509: The Malvaceae family, subfamily Bombacoideae . They are native to Madagascar , mainland Africa, and Australia. The trees have also been introduced to other regions such as Asia. A genomic and ecological analysis has suggested that the genus is Madagascan in origin. The generic name honours Michel Adanson , the French naturalist and explorer who described Adansonia digitata . The baobab

684-507: The Arabic أَبُو حِبَاب abū ḥibāb meaning "many-seeded fruit". The French explorer and botanist Michel Adanson (1727–1806) observed a baobab tree in 1749 on the island of Sor in Senegal, and wrote the first detailed botanical description of the full tree, accompanied with illustrations. Recognizing the connection to the fruit described by Alpini he called the genus Baobab. Linnaeus later renamed

722-503: The Australian species represents a long-distance trans- oceanic dispersal event from Africa. The lineage leading to Adansonia was found to have diverged from its closest relatives in Bombacoideae like Ceiba / Chorisia at the end of the Eocene, during a time of abrupt global climate cooling and drying, while a divergence of this Adansonia + Ceiba / Chorisia clade from Pachira

760-454: The axils of the leaves near the tips of reproductive shoots. Only A. digitata has flowers and fruits set on long, hanging stalks. There is usually only a single flower in an axil, but sometimes flowers occur in pairs. They are large, showy and strongly scented. They only open near dusk. Opening is rapid and movement of the flower parts is fast enough to be visible. Most Adansonia species are pollinated by bats. Flowers may remain attached to

798-446: The baobabs is one of their distinguishing features. It is large, oval-to-round, and berry-like in most species (usually less than 10 centimetres (3.9 in) long in A. madagascariensis . ). It has a dry, hard outer shell of variable thickness. In most species, the shell is indehiscent (does not break open easily). A. gibbosa is the only species with fruits that crack while still on the tree, which then tend to break open upon landing on

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836-539: The base for a type of ice cream known as gelado de múcua . In Zimbabwe , the fruit of A. digitata is eaten fresh or the crushed crumbly pulp is stirred into porridge and drinks. In Tanzania , the dry pulp of A. digitata is added to sugarcane to aid fermentation in brewing (beermaking). The seeds of some species are a source of vegetable oil . The fruit pulp and seeds of A. grandidieri and A. za are eaten fresh. Some baobab species are sources of fiber , dye , and fuel . Indigenous Australians used

874-408: The base of the flower. The inner surface of the lobes are silky-hairy and cream, pink, or red. Sometimes the lobes do not separate cleanly, distorting the shape of the flower as they bend back. The calyx lobes remain fused at the base, leaving a feature (calyx tube) that has nectar-producing tissue and that is cup-shaped, flat or tubular; the form of the calyx tube varies with species. The flowers have

912-433: The dense tropical forests that once throve here. Over the years, as the country's population grew, the forests were steadily cut down, leaving only the baobab trees, which the locals preserved for religious reasons. Today, deforestation still continues as large areas of this region, including some of few remaining baobabs, are cleared to make way for sugar cane plantations. The Tsingy de Bemaraha Strict Nature Reserve ,

950-526: The genus Adansonia , to honour Adanson, but use of baobab as one of the common names has persisted. The genus Adansonia is in the subfamily Bombacoideae , within the family Malvaceae in the order Malvales . The subfamily Bombacoideae was previously treated as the Bombacaceae family but it is no longer recognized at the rank of family by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group I 1998, II 2003 or

988-558: The ground. Inside the outer shell, kidney-shaped seeds 10–15(−20) mm long are set in a dry pulp. The earliest written reports of baobab are from a 14th-century travelogue by the Arab traveler Ibn Battuta . The first botanical description was in the De medicina Aegyptiorum by Prospero Alpini (1592), looking at fruits that he observed in Egypt from an unknown source. They were called Bahobab , possibly from

1026-426: The largest ones in the middle and may be stalkless or with short petioles . Leaflets may have toothed or smooth edges, and may be hairless or have simple-to-clumped hairs. Baobabs have stipules at the base of the leaves, but the stipules are soon shed in most species. Baobabs are deciduous, shedding leaves during the dry season. In most Adansonia species, the flowers are borne on short erect or spreading stalks in

1064-431: The native species A. gregorii for several products, making string from the root fibers and decorative crafts from the fruits. Baobab oil from the seed is also used in cosmetics, particularly in moisturizers . Baobab trees hold cultural and spiritual significance in many African societies. They are often the sites of communal gatherings, storytelling, and rituals. An unusual baobab was the namesake of Kukawa , formerly

1102-541: The new road established, a trip from Antananarivo to Morondava by taxi-brousse takes approximately 12 hours. Pirogues are consequently a popular mode of transport used to ferry people and goods along the coast, especially to Morombe . The city is famous amongst other things for the spectacular Avenue of Baobabs nearby at 20°15′04″S 44°25′06″E  /  20.251000°S 44.418403°E  / -20.251000; 44.418403  ( Avenue of Baobabs ) . These giant baobab trees are an 800-year-old legacy of

1140-404: The oldest and largest baobabs began to die in the early 21st century, likely from a combination of drought and rising temperatures. The trees appear to become parched , then become dehydrated and unable to support their massive trunks. Baobabs are important as nest sites for birds, in particular the mottled spinetail and four species of weaver . Radiocarbon dating has provided data on

1178-552: The park. Habitats on the reserve consist mainly of dry scrubland, deciduous dry forest with the vegetation dominated by the plant families , Bombacaceae , Burseraceae and Euphorbiaceae . Some of the species include Adansonia rubrostipa , commonly known as fony baobab, the ebony tree ( Diospyros platycalyx ), Euphorbia antso and Hazomalania voyronii which has timber that contains camphor an insect repellent. There are also small seasonal lakes with locally endemic aquatic plants. Ten species of mammal have been recorded on

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1216-414: The regions of Darfur and the state of Kordofan . The locals call it "Gongolaze" and use its fruits as food and medicine and use the tree trunks as reservoirs to save water. Baobabs store water in the trunk (up to 120,000 litres or 32,000 US gallons) to endure harsh drought conditions. All occur in seasonally arid areas, and are deciduous , shedding their leaves during the dry season. Across Africa,

1254-485: The reserve including eight species of lemur , 48 bird species, eleven species of reptile and one amphibian. Coquerel's sifaka ( Propithecus coquereli ) was previously found at this site but has since been extirpated. Mammals found on the reserve include Madame Berthe's mouse lemur ( Microcebus berthae ), which is evaluated as an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and

1292-479: The section Longitubae. They also have flowers/fruits set on short pedicels, but the flower buds are five or more times as long as wide. As of July 2020 , there are eight recognized species of Adansonia, with six endemic to Madagascar , one native to mainland Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, and one native to Australia. The mainland African species ( Adansonia digitata ) also occurs on Madagascar, but it

1330-471: The trees for several days, but the reproductive phase is very short, with pollen shed during the first night and stigmas shriveled by the morning. The flower is made up of an outer 5-lobed calyx, and an inner ring of petals set around a fused tube of stamens. The outer lobes of the calyx are usually green (brown in A. grandidieri ) and in bud are joined almost to the tip. As the flower opens, the calyx lobes split apart and become coiled or bent back (reflexed) at

1368-746: The trunk or are ascending. Adansonia gregorii is generally the smallest of the baobabs, rarely getting to over 10 m (33 ft) tall and often with multiple trunks. Both A. rubrostipa and A. madagascariensis are small to large trees, from 5 to 20 m (16 to 66 ft) tall. The other baobabs grow from 25 to 30 m (80 to 100 ft) tall, with 2 to 3 m (7 to 10 ft) diameter trunks. A. digitata , however, often has massive single or multiple trunks of up to 10 m (33 ft) diameter. Leaves are palmately compound in mature trees, but seedlings and regenerating shoots may have simple leaves. The transition to compound leaves comes with age and may be gradual. Leaves have 5–11 leaflets, with

1406-537: Was found to be more ancient, dating to the middle Eocene. The Malagasy species are important components of the Madagascar dry deciduous forests . Within that biome , Adansonia madagascariensis and A. rubrostipa occur specifically in the Anjajavy Forest , sometimes growing out of the tsingy limestone itself. A. digitata has been called "a defining icon of African bushland". The tree also grows wild in Sudan in

1444-505: Was in a range of 74 to 163 milligrams (1.14 to 2.52 gr) per 100 grams (3.5 oz) of dried powder. In 2008, baobab dried fruit pulp was authorized in the EU as a safe food ingredient , and later in the year was granted GRAS ( generally recognized as safe ) status in the United States. In Angola , the dry fruit of A. digitata is usually boiled, and the broth is used for juices or as

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