baobab

/bay"oh bab', bah"oh-, bow"bab/, n.

any large tree belonging to the genus Adansonia, of the bombax family, esp. A. digitata, which is native to tropical Africa, has an exceedingly thick trunk, and bears a gourdlike fruit.

[1630-40; < NL bahobab, first cited in a description of the tree's fruit by Italian physician and botanist Prospero Alpini (1553-1616 or 17); orig. obscure]

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Tree (Adansonia digitata) of the bombax family (Bombacaceae), native to Africa.

The barrel-like trunk may reach a diameter of 30 ft (9 m) and a height of 60 ft (18 m). The large, gourdlike, woody fruit contains a tasty pulp. A strong fibre from the bark is used locally for rope and cloth. The trunks are often excavated to serve as water reserves or temporary shelters. For its extraordinary shape the baobab is grown as a curiosity in areas of warm climate, such as Florida. A related species, A. gregorii, occurs in Australia, where it is also called a bottle tree.

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▪ Adansonia digitata

      (Adansonia digitata), tree of the hibiscus, or mallow, family (Malvaceae), native to Africa. The barrel-like trunk may reach a diameter of 9 metres (30 feet) and a height of 18 metres (59 feet). The young leaves are edible, and the large, gourdlike, woody fruit contains a tasty mucilaginous pulp, from which a refreshing drink can be made. A strong fibre from the bark is used locally for rope and cloth. The trunks are often excavated to serve as water reserves or temporary shelters.

      So extraordinarily shaped is the baobab that an Arabian legend has it that “the devil plucked up the baobab, thrust its branches into the earth, and left its roots in the air.” It is grown as a curiosity in areas of warm climate, such as Florida. A related species, A. gregorii, occurs in Australia, where it is called baobab or bottle tree (the latter name being more correctly applied to the genus Brachychiton, of the same family).

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