Family:
Malvaceae Juss.

Adansonia L.

This genus is accepted, and its native range is Tropical & S. Africa, Madagascar, S. Arabian Peninsula, NW. Australia.

[FZ]

Bombacaceae, H. Wild. Flora Zambesiaca 1:2. 1961

Morphology General Habit
Trees, trunk often of great girth.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves digitately 3–9-foliolate, leaflets entire.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers large, solitary in the leaf-axils; pedicels with 2 bracteoles.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx deeply 5-lobed, villous inside.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals 5.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens ?, united into a tube below; anthers reniform and often somewhat coiled.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
Ovary 5–10-locular, loculi multiovulate; stigma 5–10-lobed.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit indehiscent, woody, oblong-cylindric to globose.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds many, embedded in a pulpy or floury matrix; endosperm in a very thin layer; cotyledons contorted.

[FTEA]

Bombacaceae, H. Beentje (East African Herbarium). Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1989

Morphology General Habit
Soft-wooded trees, often of great girth
Morphology Leaves
Leaves digitate; leaflets 3-9, entire, the innermost larger than the outer ones
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers axillary and solitary, large, pendulous; pedicels with 2 bracteoles
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx deeply 5-lobed, villous inside
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals 5, oblong
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens many, the filaments united into a tube in their lower part; anthers reniform
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
Ovary 5-10-locular, with numerous ovules; stigma 5-10-lobed
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit woody, indehiscent, with many seeds embedded in a floury pulp
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds reniform or globose; hilum lateral; testa thick, endosperm thin; cotyledons contorted.

[FSOM]

M. Thulin et al. Flora of Somalia Vol. 1-4 [updated 2008] https://plants.jstor.org/collection/FLOS

Morphology Trunk
Trunks massive, soft-wooded, unarmed
Morphology Leaves
Leaves digitate
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers solitary, axillary
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx enclosing flower in bud, deeply 5-lobed
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals 5, equal or almost so
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens numerous; filaments united below into a tube; anthers 1-thecous
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary
Ovary 5–10-celled, with numerous ovules; style 5–10-lobed
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit woody, indehiscent, with many seeds embedded in pulp
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds reniform.
Distribution
One species in continental Africa and Arabia, seven in Madagascar, and one in NW Australia.

Native to:

Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina, Cameroon, Caprivi Strip, Central African Repu, Chad, Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Gulf of Guinea Is., Ivory Coast, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Northern Provinces, Northern Territory, Oman, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Western Australia, Yemen, Zambia, Zaïre, Zimbabwe

Introduced into:

Bangladesh, Comoros, India, Mozambique Channel I, Sri Lanka, Vietnam

Adansonia L. appears in other Kew resources:

First published in Syst. Nat. ed. 10 2: 1144, 1382 (1759)

Accepted by

  • Govaerts, R. (1995). World Checklist of Seed Plants 1(1, 2): 1-483, 529. MIM, Deurne.

Literature

Flora of West Tropical Africa

  • —F.T.A. 1: 212.

Flora Zambesiaca

  • Gen. Pl. ed. 5: 497 (1754).
  • Sp. Pl. 2: 1190 (1753)

Flora of Somalia

  • Baum in Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard. 82: 440–470 (1995).
  • Flora Somalia, Vol 2, (1999) Author: by M. Thulin [updated by M. Thulin 2008]

Flora of Tropical East Africa

  • L., Gen. Pl., ed. 5: 497 (1754)
  • Sp. Pl.: 1190 (1753)

  • Art and Illustrations in Digifolia

    Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew

  • Flora Zambesiaca

    Flora Zambesiaca
    http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Somalia

    Flora of Somalia
    http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    Flora of Tropical East Africa
    http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2022. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
    © Copyright 2017 World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2022. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
    © Copyright 2017 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Wood Anatomy Microscope Slides

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