common baobab

Names and Synonyms

Common Names

• Baobab Tree
• dead-rat-tree
• monkey-bread-tree
• Africa's Upside-Down
• African baobab
• Boabab
• Cream-Of-Tartar-Tree
• Creme-Of-Tartar Tree
• Lemonade Tree
• Monkeybread
• Tartaric Acid Tree
• Upside-down Tree

Scientific Names

Accepted name

Synonyms

• Adansonia situla
• Baobabus digitata
• Adansonia kilima
• Adansonia bahobab
• Adansonia baobab
• Adansonia sulcata
• Adansonia integrifolia
• Adansonia scutula
• Adansonia sphaerocarpa
• Ophelus sitularius

Regional and Traditional Names

Sources: Wikidata, Catalogue of Life

Taxonomical Classification

This plant, known scientifically as Adansonia digitata, belongs to the kingdom Plantae and the phylum Streptophyta. It is classified under the class Equisetopsida and the subclass Magnoliidae within the order Malvales. Finally, it is a member of the family Malvaceae and is situated within the genus Adansonia.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Distribution

This plant, known as Adansonia digitata, exhibits a specific distribution pattern across the West Tropical Africa region. It can be found growing naturally within the borders of Benin. Furthermore, its presence extends into the territory of Burkina. The species is also widely distributed throughout Gambia and Ghana. Finally, its geographical range includes the nation of Guinea-Bissau.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Botanical Identification

Ecology

The ecology of Adansonia digitata is characterized by its presence in bush- or woodland environments, where it is frequently observed being left standing even when the surrounding bush is cleared. This species thrives across a diverse altitudinal gradient, occupying an elevational range that begins at 100 m AMSL and extends up to a maximum of 1060 m AMSL.

Elevational range max:

1060 m AMSL

Elevational range min:

100 m AMSL

Habitat :

bush- or woodland, often left standing when bush is cleared

Life history

The life history of Adansonia digitata is characterized by a perennial lifecycle, allowing the individual to persist in its environment for many decades, often reaching several centuries in age. As a phanerophyte, the plant maintains its photosynthetic organs on elevated woody stems, growing into a massive, arborescent form that dominates its ecological niche. This long-lived species exhibits a deciduous growth pattern, shedding its leaves periodically, typically in response to seasonal dry periods, to conserve moisture and manage its physiological processes.

Deciduousness :

deciduous

Life form :

phanerophyte

Lifecycle :

perennial

Morphology

The morphology of Adansonia digitata is characterized by its robust growth form as a woody tree. It is a self-supporting organism that functions independently, showing no parasitic or epiphytic tendencies, as it is strictly terrestrial in its habitat. The plant exhibits significant vertical development, with a height range spanning from a minimum of 3 m to a maximum of approximately 18.29 m, maintaining an average plant height of 17.5 m.

Aquatic :

terrestrial

Climber :

self-supporting

Epiphyte :

terrestrial

Growth form :

tree

Parasite :

independent

Plant height max:

18.28822238 m

Plant height mean:

17.5 m

Plant height min:

3 m

Woodiness :

woody

Physiology

The physiology of Adansonia digitata is characterized by a specialized metabolic strategy adapted to arid environments, utilizing a C3 photosynthetic pathway for carbon fixation. This metabolic framework dictates its gas exchange patterns and water-use efficiency, distinguishing it from plants employing C4 or CAM pathways. In terms of nutrient cycling, the species does not function as a nitrogen fixer, meaning it lacks the symbiotic relationship with nitrogen-fixing bacteria required to convert atmospheric nitrogen into bioavailable forms, relying instead on the mineralization of organic matter in the soil for its nitrogen requirements.

Nitrogen fixer :

no

Photosynthetic pathway :

C3

Reproduction

The reproduction of Adansonia digitata is a complex biological process involving specific pollination syndromes and the production of substantial fruit and seed structures. The plant utilizes a diverse range of pollination mechanisms, with bats playing a primary role in its pollination syndrome, though it also engages with wind, water, bees, beetles, ants, butterflies, moths, flies, insects, and birds. Following successful pollination, the plant develops dry fruits that vary in size; these fruits typically exhibit a mean length of 30 cm (ranging from a minimum of 25 cm to a maximum of 35 cm) and a mean width of 13 cm (ranging from a minimum of 10 cm to a maximum of 16 cm). Within these dry fruits, the seeds are produced with a mean mass of approximately 0.4675775 g, with individual seed masses ranging from a minimum of 0.35975 g to a maximum of 0.67311 g. Furthermore, the seeds maintain a consistent volume, recorded at a mean and range of 530 mm³.

Fruit dryness :

dry

Fruit length max:

35 cm

Fruit length mean:

30 cm

Fruit length min:

25 cm

Fruit width max:

16 cm

Fruit width mean:

13 cm

Fruit width min:

10 cm

Pollination syndrome :

bat

Seed mass max:

0.67311 g

Seed mass mean:

0.4675775 g

Seed mass min:

0.35975 g

Seed volume max:

530 mm³

Sources: Global Inventory of Floras and Traits (GIFT)

Plant Parts

Adansonia digitata has 4 reported plant parts identified across 8 scientific publications and several other databases that are studied for medicinal purposes. The most consistently reported plant part include leaf, stem, fruit, root.

Leaf

1. Dakar medical
2. Pharmacognosy research
3. Pharmaceutical biology
4. Journal of vector borne diseases

Stem

1. Nigerian journal of physiological sciences : official publication of the Physiological Society of Nigeria
2. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Fruit

1. Malawi medical journal : the journal of Medical Association of Malawi

Root

1. Pharmaceutical biology

Chemicals

Adansonia digitata has 34 reported phytochemicals identified across 8 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported chemicals include Flavonoids, Saponins, CALCIUM, IRON, Phenols.

Flavonoids

1. Nigerian journal of physiological sciences : official publication of the Physiological Society of Nigeria
2. Cureus
3. Malawi medical journal : the journal of Medical Association of Malawi
4. Nutrients
5. Heliyon

Saponins

1. Nigerian journal of physiological sciences : official publication of the Physiological Society of Nigeria
2. Journal of vector borne diseases
3. Cureus
4. Malawi medical journal : the journal of Medical Association of Malawi
5. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)

CALCIUM

1. Malawi medical journal : the journal of Medical Association of Malawi
2. Nutrients
3. International journal of food sciences and nutrition

IRON

1. Malawi medical journal : the journal of Medical Association of Malawi
2. Nutrients
3. International journal of food sciences and nutrition

Phenols

1. Cureus
2. Nutrients
3. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)

Tannins

1. Cureus
2. Nutrients
3. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)

MAGNESIUM

1. Malawi medical journal : the journal of Medical Association of Malawi
2. Nutrients

Sterols

1. Food chemistry
2. Cureus

Terpenoids

1. Malawi medical journal : the journal of Medical Association of Malawi
2. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)

ZINC

1. Nutrients
2. International journal of food sciences and nutrition

Activities

Adansonia digitata has 43 reported activities identified across 8 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported activities include Antioxidant, Antimicrobial, 5-Alpha-Reductase-Inhibitor, Analgesic, Anthelmintic.

Antioxidant

1. Dr. Duke
2. Journal of pharmaceutical and biomedical analysis
3. Journal of biomolecular structure & dynamics
4. Nutrients

Antimicrobial

1. Nutrients
2. Health science reports

5-Alpha-Reductase-Inhibitor

1. Dr. Duke

Analgesic

1. Nutrients

Anthelmintic

1. Dr. Duke

AntiHIV

1. Dr. Duke

Antialopecic

1. Dr. Duke

Antiandrogenic

1. Dr. Duke

Antibacterial

1. Dr. Duke

Anticancer

1. Dr. Duke

Medicinal Uses

Adansonia digitata has 30 reported medicinal uses identified across 8 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported uses include COVID-19, Inflammation, Metabolic Syndrome, abdominal obesity, antioxidant.

Most Reported Uses

Preparations