Common Name: Giant Baobab

General Information

Adansonia grandidieri is a deciduous tree usually growing up to 25 metres tall, though stunted plants in the south of its range are sometimes only 5 metres tall. It has a massive, cylindrical bole that can be 3 - 5 metres in diameter and serves to store water for times of drought; the bole is topped by a sparse, few-branched, flat-topped, light crown[, , ].
This is the most valuable and most widely exploited of all baobab species in Madagascar[, ]. It provides edible fruits and oil-rich seeds as well as being a source of fibre and material for thatching. It is only used locally, though the oil obtained from the seeds is of very good quality and has, in the past, been exported to Europe[]. Sheets of wood obtained from the trunk and used for thatching are sold in local markets[].
Found only in a restricted area of Madagascar, the tree is threatened by habitat destruction and, due to the low numbers of mature specimens, poor regeneration. It is classified as 'Endangered' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2011)[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Africa - southwest Madagascar.

Habitat

Dry deciduous forest at low elevations, where it commonly occurs close to waterholes and rivers[]. Most mature trees are now found in degraded agricultural land[].

Properties

Conservation Status	Endangered
Edibility Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Deciduous Tree
Height	20.00 m
Growth Rate	Fast
Pollinators	Fruit bats, Lemurs
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Found in the wild in moist but well-drained soils[]. Established plants are drought tolerant.
Taking into account its dry habitat, the early growth of this tree is fast; it can be 2 metres tall within 2 years from seed and 12 - 15 metres tall, with a bole diameter of 60cm. Within 12 years[].

Edible Uses

Fruit pulp - raw[, ]. The fruit is a large, hairy, reddish-brown, oblong-ovoid to almost globose berry. It has a fragile, 2.5 - 4mm thick wall, and contains many kidney-shaped seeds that are 12 - 14mm long, 10 - 12mm wide and 9 - 10mm thick[].
Fruits are collected from the ground or picked from the tree by using steps made from wooden pegs that are hammered into the trunk[, ].

Seed - raw[].

The seed contains 36 - 39% of a good quality cooking oil[]. The fatty acid composition of the oil is: palmitic acid 38%; stearic acid 4%; oleic acid 23%; and linoleic acid 16%. The oil also contains the rare fatty acids: malvalic acid 7%; sterculic acid 8%; and dihydrosterculic acid 2%[].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

The fibrous bark of mature trees is found in a layer up to 15cm wide on the tree. It is used for making rope, particularly for use in canoes[]. To obtain the bark for rope-making, the bark is cut from ground level up to about 2 metres high. The scar persists but new bark regenerates over the damaged parts[].

A fixed oil obtained from the seed is used as an ingredient in commercial cosmetic preparations as a humectant, skin protector and conditioner, hair conditioner[].

The wood is spongy and moisture-rich, comprising concentric sheets of fibre that probably correspond to annual growth rings. Dried sheets of wood have been used as thatch[, ]. To obtain wood for use in thatching, trees are felled and sheets of fibrous wood are peeled from the bole and dried in the sun[].

Propagation

Seed -

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