Baobab lemonade - Adansonia digitata

Description and Uses

Adansonia digitata (Baobab lemonade) is a tropical tree from East Africa. It is mainly grown for its fruit crops (long shelflife), but also

can be produced. The crop is harvested by ground gathering. It starts flowering after 16 - 23 years. The first yield will be 20 fruits/tree/year but in its top season there will be a yield of 65 fruits/tree/year.

. Medical uses include;

The fresh leaf contains ascorbic acid (0.50% - 0.60%). There is boabab seed oil extracted by steam distillation from the tree`s seed/nut yielding 14 - 15% oil. The tree`s wood is called Boabab wood and has a density of 310 - 330 kg/m³. Regarding firewood production the tree`s growing speed is slow, its energetic value is 4550 ckal/kg and the wood`s drying speed is slow; for firewood production it is not ideal. After 200 years the tree can be totally removed as it reached its commercial and ecological goal. Adansonia digitata has a lifespan of 1000 years.

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Environmental limitations

The tree is 25 meters tall. It is slow growing and tolerates not less light than full sun. Adansonia digitata has a shallow root-system and forms symbiotic relations

(endo-mycorrhiza). It is not able to fix nitrogen. The tree`s flower-morphology is dioecious and is pollinated by bees. Adansonia digitata is deciduous in dry season and a bit allelopathic and has no thorns.

Adansonia digitata thrives in an altitude of 5 to 1500 meters above sea-level (tropical). The minimum temperature is 1°C and optimally between 19 - 28°C. The optimal rainfall is 750 mm/year. Without irrigation the annual rainfall should be between 250 - 1000 mm (L/m²). The optimal soil-pH is between 5.0 - 7.0 in a soil texture of sand. To salt it is a bit tolerant to wind tolerant and to fire tolerant.

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Pests and Diseases

and

diseases.

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Seed Propagation

Seeds are orthodox and can be stored for 8 months. There are approximative 30000 seeds/kg. Unfortunately propagation instruction is missing.

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