Perrier’s Baobab (Adansonia perrieri)
(images via: Bihrmann’s Caudiciforms, ch.deff and Arkive)
Perrier’s Baobab is rated as Endangered by IUCN due to persistent loss of habitat to agriculture and development, and it may be the rarest of Madagascar’s baobabs with only 10 known populations. Found only on Madagascar near the far-northern port of Antsiranana, Perrier’s Baobab can grow up to 30m (98ft) tall and bears large fruit that can reach 30cm (12 inches) in length.
Fony Baobab (Adansonia rubrostipa)
(images via: Arkive, Pensee-Chretienne and Lithopman)
Restricted to Madagascar’s dry deciduous forests, the Fony Baobab is the island’s smallest species, rarely reaching higher than about 20m (65ft) and more typically growing around 4-5m (about 15ft) tall. The bottle-shaped trunk displays a trademark constriction beneath the upper spread of branches and its flowers vary from bright yellow to orange-yellow in hue.
(images via: Uniprot)
The Fony Baobab is a deciduous, non-evergreen tree but it can still draw energy from sunlight in a leafless state. The tree has evolved a thin photosynthetic cell layer beneath its easily peeled outer bark; thus it can carry on its life functions while appearing as if it had abandoned them.
Suarez Baobab (Adansonia suarezensis)
(images via: Arkive)
The white-flowered Suarez Baobab also grows near Madagascar’s northern tip but unlike the relatively abundant Fony Baobab, Adansonia suarezensis is listed as Endangered by IUCN. These large baobabs can reach 25m (82ft) in height and their distinctive tapering trunks can grow up to 2m (6.5ft) in width. Known as the Suarez Baobab or Diego’s Baobab, this species is named for Portuguese navigator Diogo Soares who visited Antsiranana’s natural harbor in 1543.
Bozy Baobab (Adansonia za)
(images via: Arkive, Malagasy World and Superstock)
The Bozy Baobab is Madagascar’s most common baobab though it’s threatened by habitat loss in the southern and northwestern portions of its range. Mature trees display smooth, rose-brown bark and may rise to 40m (over 130ft) in height.
(image via: Treegirl)
The tree’s fruit is black-skinned and the seeds contain up to 11% oil. Flowers of Adansonia za have yellow and red petals, and are said to exude a musty-sweet odor attractive to its main pollinators: fruit bats and Sphinx moths.
http://www.arkive.org/baobab/adansonia-za/image-G103088.html
The unusual species name “za” is derived from the native Malagasy word for the tree. In its southern range natives call the tree Zabe, or “big za”, while in the north its known as Bozy or Bojy. A viable specimen of Adansonia za was planted in the University of Arizona campus arboretum in the 1960s. This tree stands about 50ft tall – possibly just half its potential height.
(images via: Akiko@Flickr and Gigazine)
Got a hankering for some Baobab but Africa, Arabia and Australia lie too far off the beaten path? Cheer up, chums, Baobab products may soon be coming to you! Recent rulings by the FDA and the EU’s equivalent authority have deemed Baobab fruit, powder, extract etcetera safe for human consumption… something generations of Africans could have told them.
(images via: WebUrbanist)
One of the first mass-market manifestations took the form of Pepsi Baobab, sold for a limited time in Japan in conjunction with the 2010 World Cup of soccer being held in South Africa. Tasters remarked on gold-tinted Pepsi Baobab’s “refreshingly spicy” flavor, comparing it to that of confectionery Wine Gums… vuvuzelas optional.

