African Baobab Tree

Description:

The Adansonia digitata usually grow solitary as individuals, and are very distinctive trees on the savannah. Some can live well over a thousand years of age. Adansonia digitata bear flowers that are very large, heavy, and white, with a large number of stamens. The fruit has a scent that resembles rotting flesh, or a carrion scent that in Africa, is primarily pollinated by fruit bats. The pulp in the fruit dries, hardens, and falls to pieces that look similar to chunks of dry bread. The fruit of the African baobab can be up to 10 inches long, containing 50% more calcium than spinach, and is extremely high in antioxidants. Per serving, the fruit has more than 3 times the amount of vitamin C of that of an orange. Nicknames for the fruit is the superfruit because of this. In Europe, the European Union approved the baobab fruit to be used as an ingredient in smoothies and cereal bars. Adansonia can reach heights of 16-98 ft. and trunks 23-36 ft. in diameter.

Habitat:

This tree was found on Kamehameha Kapālama Campus, on the lower campus of the high school.

Notes:

Adansonia digitata is a tree that is native to the continent of Africa. Of all the Adansonia species, Adansonia digitata is the most widespread species, found typically in hot, dry savannahs of sub-Saharan Africa. English common names for the A. digitata include the monkey-bread tree, upside-down tree, and cream of tartar tree. Michel Adanson was examined in Senegal and described to the French Academy of Sciences, and because of that, Linnaeus named the genus of this tree Adansonia in the honor of Adanson.