The Baobab Tree

The Baobab Tree


Ecology CP

Baobab Tree
The Baobab tree is the national tree Madagascar and can be found all over the island and in the savannas of Africa and India. The genus Adansonia contains nine different species, six of which are native to Madagascar, two native to the African mainland, one to Australia, and one to the Arabian Peninsula. The baobab used to inhabit dry, deciduous forest, especially near seasonal rivers or lakes. However, today it is mainly found in open, agricultural land or degraded scrubland and provides a source of water for the organisms, including people, around it during the dry season. The only threat to these trees in their natural environment is human interference of course, and the action of elephants ripping its limbs from the tree to use as a source of water which ultimately can kill the tree depending upon the total damage afflicted. Although this tree is only found in small parts of the world is play an extremely significant impact on the surrounding people and wildlife.
Indigenous wild fruit trees, such as the Baobab are of great importance in dry to semi-dry Africa along with Madagascar and parts of India, where other fruit species cannot easily be cultivated. Recognized as Africa’s “upside-down tree”, the majestic baobab (Adansonia digitata L.)is a fascinating tree. The tree has edible leaves, pulp and seeds that are identified as good sources of vitamins and minerals. Recently, baobab fruit pulp has been approved for sale in the EU and USA, and has thus entered the formal international food market. Within the baobab, there is evidence indicating the existence of a number of local forms differing in habit, vigor, and fruit and leaf morphology. However, little is known about morphological fruit diversity of the Baobab tree. Furthermore, several authors have observed a lack of natural regeneration in different countries indicating a general senescing of baobab populations in Africa.
The morphological variation in fruits of...

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