Country of origin: African continent with the exception of the northern region (Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Cape Verde, Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Zambia, Zimbabwe)
Description
It is a deciduous tree that reaches 30 meters in height and 5 meters in trunk diameter. It was one of the world's huge, long-living plants, and some lived more than 5,000 years. Flowering and fruiting occurs early from 8 to 10 years. Generally blooms and produces fruit once annually. Blooms from night to early in the morning, and is mainly pollinated by bats. It is xerotolerant and inhabits regions within the range of annual precipitation of 90-1,500 mm. It is highly tolerant to high temperatures but has poor tolerance to frost. It can be cultivated in acidic and lime soil. Propagation is performed by seeding or cutting. It is believed that big trees can store more than 2,000 gallons of water. The bark is highly fire-resistant.
The flesh contains high levels of vitamins C (10 times that of an orange) and B2. It also includes vitamins A, B1, B3, and B6. The pulp and seeds are rich in potassium, calcium, magnesium, glutamic acid, aspartic acid, and arginine. The young leaves also taste like spinach and are rich in vitamins C and A, proteins, amino acids, and minerals (i.e., calcium, iron, potassium, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, phosphorus, zinc). The seeds contain approximately 12-15% oil and consist mainly of oleic acid (35.8%), linoleic acid (30.7%), and palmitic acid (24.2%).
Uses:
Fruit (food, animal feed, medicine), leaf (food, animal feed, medicine), flower (food, medicine), seed (food, animal feed, substitute for cooking oil, medicine), seedling stalk and root (food), mature thick root (food during times of famine), sap (beverages), bark (fiber; cords, rope, pulling tool, straps, mats, instrument strings, bow strings, hats, cups, baskets, paper), trunk (tableware, lumber, tannins, fuel), pollen (glue), root (red dye), rubber (medicine)
References
Hines, D.A., Eckman, K. 1993. Indigenous multipurpose trees of Tanzania:
Uses and economic benefits for people. Food and Agriculture Organization
of the United Nations. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. (http://www.fao.org/docrep/x5327e/x5327e00.htm#Contents)
Lim, T.K. 2012. Adansonia digitata. In: Edible Medicinal and Non-Medicinal Plants. Volume 1, Fruits. Springer , Netherlands, pp.527-535.
Mbora, A., Jamnadass, R. Lillesø, J-P, B. 2008. Growing high priority fruits
and nuts in Kenya: Uses and management. Nairobi. The World Agroforestry
Centre. (http://www.worldagroforestry.org/downloads/publications/PDFs/B15956.PDF)
Wickens, G.E. and Lowe P. 2008. The Baobabs: The Pachycauls of Africa,
Madagascar and Australia. Springer, London.
