Adansonia is a genus of deciduous trees known as Baobabs. Adansonia belongs to the Malvaceae family. They are found in arid regions of Madagascar, mainland Africa, Arabia, and Australia. Of the nine species, six are native to Madagascar, two are native to mainland Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, and one is native to Australia. The generic name Adansonia was given honours for Michel Adanson, a French explorer and naturalist who described the tree. They are known as Upside Down Trees because their branches look like roots.

Species: Adansonia digitata: African Baobab, (western, northeastern, central and southern Africa, in the Arabian Peninsula), Adansonia grandidieri: Giant baobab (Madagascar), Adansonia gregorii: Boab, (northwestern Australia), Adansonia kilima: Montane African Baobab (eastern and southern Africa), Adansonia madagascariensis: Madagascar baobab (Madagascar), Adansonia perrieri: Perrier’s baobab (northern Madagascar), Adansonia rubrostipa: Fony baobab (Madagascar), Adansonia suarezensis: Suarez baobab (Madagascar), Adansonia za: Za baobab (Madagascar).

All species of Adansonia have some common characteristics; they have large trunk girth, an adaptation to arid environments that allows the plant to store large quantities of water. Baobabs store water in the trunk (up to 120,000 litres) to endure harsh drought conditions. All trees occur in seasonally arid areas, and are deciduous, shedding their leaves during the dry season.

Adansonias are not succulents. Young plants need a lot of water, they cannot tolerate to drought. The genus is simply highly adapted to areas of low rainfall.  They reach heights of 5 to 30 m and have trunk girth up to 25 m (trunk diameter of 16 m).

Baobabs are extremely long-lived trees, can live for over 2,000 years. When they die, they rot inside and suddenly collapse. The trees resist drought, fire and termites. They regrow even their bark is stripped. One of the reasons that aid longevity is the ability to regrow bark when it is damaged, either through accidental injury or by being intentionally stripped for the fibre. Large Adansonia trees with hollow stems have been used by people for centuries for various purposes; including water sources, houses, prisons, pubs, storage barns. They are also important as nest sites for birds.

Across Africa, the oldest and largest Baobabs began to die in the early 21st century, likely from a combination of drought and rising temperatures.

Use in Landscape:  Adansonias will make a handsome addition to a large garden, estate or large parkland providing the soil is not waterlogged. Baobabs cannot tolerate even mild frost.

Adansonia digitata, named African Baobab Tree, is mostly known for its exceptional height and girth. The tree can reach a height of 25 m and the bottle-shaped trunk can reach diameter of 16 m. The branches are thick, wide, and stout compared to the trunk, and can be spread evenly across the height of the tree. The bark tends to be smooth, up to 10 cm wide, ranging in colour from reddish brown to grey. Flower stalks are up to 90 cm. long. Pendulous white, sweetly scented flowers are up to 20 cm wide, they have 5 petals that are hairy inside containing a mass of stamens. They emerge in the late afternoon from large round buds on long drooping stalks, in early summer of southern Africa, from October to December. The flowers fall within 24 hours, turning brown and smelling quite unpleasant. Pollination by fruit bats, insects and wind takes place usually at night.

The globose to ovoid fruit of Adansonia digitata has a velvety shell and is about the size of a coconut (up to 20 cm long), weighing about 1.5 kilograms. Hand-sized leaves are divided into 5-7 finger-like leaflets. Being deciduous, the leaves are dropped during the winter months and appear again in late spring or early summer.

The root system of African Baobab Tree, while shallow, spreads further than the height of the tree, contributing to its ability to survive in dry climates. The range of the shallow root system allows the trees to collect and store massive amounts of water during the heavy, but infrequent rainfalls, which they then use to photosynthesize in the trunk during the 8 months in which they are leafless.

The Glencoe Baobab, a specimen of Adansonia digitata in South Africa, were estimated to be approximately 2,000 years old, considered to be the largest living individual, with a trunk diameter of 16 m.

The leaves of Baobabs commonly are used as a leaf vegetable; they are eaten both fresh and as a dry powder. The seeds of the plant, mostly are used as a thickener for soups, but may also be fermented into a seasoning, roasted for direct consumption, or pounded to extract vegetable oil. It can also be roasted for use as a coffee substitute. The fibrous bark is used to make various useful items such as mats, ropes, fishing nets, sacks as well as clothing. The wood is used for fuel and timber. Indigenous Australians used Baobabs as a source of water and food and used leaves medicinally.