Where Does the Baobab Tree Grow? A Detailed Guide to Its Latest Distribution Areas
The baobab tree is a large deciduous tree of the genus Adansonia in the family Malvaceae, also known as the boabab tree, monkey tree, and sour gourd tree. Its fruit is as huge as a football, sweet and juicy, and is the favorite food of monkeys, chimpanzees, elephants and other animals. When the fruit ripens, monkeys come in droves, climb up the tree and pick the fruit to eat, and this is how the name “baobab tree” came about. Now let us take a look at where the baobab tree grows!
Where does the baobab tree grow?
The baobab tree is native to tropical Africa. Besides Africa, baobab trees can also be seen on the islands of the Mediterranean, the Atlantic and the Indian Ocean, as well as in northern Australia. A small number are cultivated in the tropical regions of Fujian, Guangdong and Yunnan in China. As one of the ancient and unique tree species on Earth, the baobab tree is distributed across the African mainland, parts of North America and the island of Madagascar. Although the baobab tree is not unique to Madagascar, only Madagascar still preserves continuous stands of baobab forest in the whole world. The most common and widespread species is called the African baobab, which is distributed in the drier parts of the African mainland, and is also found in Yemen, Oman and the Arabian Peninsula.
The growing environment of the baobab tree
The baobab tree is a warmth-loving tropical tree species. It can tolerate a maximum average temperature of 40°C and above, and an extreme minimum temperature of 0°C. Frost has an extremely great impact on the tree. In its natural distribution areas, the annual average temperature is 20-30°C. It is extremely drought-tolerant, and the annual average precipitation in suitable areas is 300-800 mm; it grows poorly under hot and humid climate conditions or where precipitation exceeds 1000 mm. It is commonly found at altitudes of 450-600 m, but in Ethiopia and its marginal distribution areas the altitude is 1000-1500 m. The baobab tree is suitable for all types of soil, from clay soil and sandy soil to various soils, but stony loam and laterite are the most common. It can grow very well in acidic and alkaline soils, sandy loam, and well-drained fertile soil.
Common varieties of the baobab tree
1. Boab tree: The boab tree is the only species of baobab found in Australia. It generally does not grow tall, roughly between 5 and 15 m, but like its relatives it has an enormous, water-rich trunk (about 5 m in diameter), and sometimes the trunks grow joined together.
2. African baobab: The African baobab can grow to 25 m tall, and its water-filled trunk can reach 12 m in diameter. The huge flowers it produces are yellow-white and give off a putrid smell. This tree is usually pollinated by fruit bats or flying foxes. Its fruit contains large amounts of trace elements, vitamins and nutrients, so it is also often called a “superfruit”.
3. Grandidier's baobab: Grandidier's baobab is one of the six species of baobab native to Madagascar, and has been listed as an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. It is the largest tree species found on Madagascar, and its branches can grow to 30 m high. Grandidier's baobab, which has smooth grape-grey bark, is relatively numerous in western Madagascar near the Morondava and Morombe areas.
4. Madagascar baobab: The Madagascar baobab looks different from ordinary baobabs. It generally grows in dry or moist forests rather than on typical shrubby grasslands. Its growing sites may not be so arid, but these trees, 5 to 20 m tall, still stand out in the forest with their thick trunks, smooth bark and dark red flowers.
5. Perrier's baobab: Perrier's baobab has lost a large amount of habitat because of agricultural development and has been listed as an “endangered species” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. It is perhaps the rarest baobab on Madagascar, with only 10 known individuals, found only in the northern region of Antsiranana. It can grow to 30 m tall and can produce fruit up to 30 cm long.
6. Fony baobab: The fony baobab grows only in the dry deciduous forests of Madagascar and is the smallest member of the Madagascar baobab family. Few fony baobabs can reach a height of more than 20 m; ordinary fony baobabs are only 4 to 5 m tall. Its bottle-shaped trunk benefits from the luxuriant foliage above it, and its flowers are bright yellow or orange-yellow.
7. Suarez baobab: The Suarez baobab has white flowers and also grows in the northern region of Madagascar. But unlike the more numerous fony baobab, the Suarez baobab has been listed as an “endangered species” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. This large baobab can grow to 25 m tall, and its width can reach about 2 m.
8. Za baobab: The za baobab is the most common baobab species on Madagascar. Mature za baobabs have smooth rose-brown bark, and some can grow to 40 m tall. Its fruit has a black outer skin and seeds with an oil content of up to 11%. Its flowers have yellow and red petals and can give off a slightly sweet scent to attract its main pollinators (fruit bats and hawk moths).