Geographic Distribution of Baobab Tree Species
The nine kinds of trees that fall off in the Baobab genus (genus Adansonia) are in the Mallow family and can be told apart by their trunks that look like barrels. Two species are only found in the Arabian Peninsula and mainland Africa. One species is only found in northwest Australia, and six species can only be found in Madagascar. People value baobabs for their cultural and biological importance and long life. A story from Arabia says that the roots of the baobab tree were so strangely shaped that “the devil plucked up the baobab, thrust its branches into the earth, and left its roots in the air.”
Cultural and Practical Uses of Baobab Trees
People who live in that area use all species of baobab in important ways. A lot of species are needed for many plant medicines, and their leaves and fruits can be eaten. The strong fibers in the bark are used to make rope and clothes in many places, and the trees are used to make tools for fishing and hunting. Not only are tree trunks used as stables, prisons, and graveyards, but they are also sometimes used as temporary shelters or water reserves. In many places, the trees are holy or culturally important.
The African Baobab (A. digitata): The True Tree of Life
An example of the African baobab (A. digitata), which grows in Namibia, is thought to be 1,275 years old, making it the oldest known angiosperm tree. This species, which is also known as the “Tree of Life,” grows in dry parts of Africa. Its base can store water and grow up to 18 meters (59 feet) tall and 9 meters (30 feet) wide. People who are older may have big, hollow branches because, over time, several stems fuse together.
The tree’s unique hanging flowers are pollinated by bush babies and bats. You can eat the young leaves, and the big, woody fruit looks like a gourd and has a tasty, gummy pulp that you can use to make a nice drink. Scientists thought that climate change might be to blame for the fact that since 2005, nine of the thirteen oldest African baobab trees and five of the six biggest trees have died or had the largest or oldest stems collapse and die. This is a very unlikely event.
Baobab Discovery: A. kilima as a Distinct Species
Based on morphological and phylogenetic evidence, A. kilima was found to be a separate species from A. digitata in 2012. It is different from the African baobab in how it flowers and makes pollen, even though it has fewer chromosomes and likes highland areas in central Africa.
Baobab Trees of Madagascar: Beauty and Endangerment
There are six types of baobab trees in Madagascar. They all have gray-brown to red stems that taper from top to bottom and can be bottle-shaped to cylindrical. There are five petals on each flower, and the colors range from red to yellow to white. Different species need different kinds of pollinators. Some need hawk moths, while others need lemurs and bats. The famous Avenue of the Baobabs (A. grandidieri) in the Menabe region is home to two species of baobabs that are on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
These two species, A. grandidieri and A. suarezensis, are considered endangered because of the risks of habitat loss and the time it takes for them to have babies. The A. perrieri is severely endangered, and human development puts it at a lot of risk. Three species are still thought to be of “least concern.” These are A. rubrostipa, A. za, and A. madagascariensis.
The Australian Baobab (A. gregorii): A Species with a Mystery
The only species of baobab in Australia is found in the Kimberley area of Western Australia. It is called A. gregorii and is also sometimes called the boab tree or the bottle tree. The tree can get as tall as 12 meters (39 feet) and has the genus’s characteristic bulging base and tough leaves that fall off completely when it gets dry.
Hawk bugs spread pollen from the big, fragrant white flowers. The boab hasn’t changed much from other baobabs, which suggests that the species is much younger than it was once thought. This is because the boab was thought to be a piece of the Gondwana region that was left behind when it broke apart 180 million years ago. There’s also a chance that the boab got to Australia by spreading seeds from Africa over long distances.