African Baobab: Adansonia digitata Facts, Range & Care

Native to: mainland Africa
Height: Up to 100 ft
IUCN status: Least Concern
Also called: Tree of Life, Dead Rat Tree, Cream of Tartar Tree, Monkey Bread Tree, Upside Down Tree, Kremetart (Afrikaans), Mbuyu (Swahili)

Found across sub-Saharan Africa and known to many as the Tree of Life, this ancient species of baobab is cultivated worldwide for its nutritious fruit.

The African Baobab, Adansonia digitata, has over 100 different recorded names. Known as the Dead Rat Tree, Cream of Tartar Tree, Mock Cotton Tree, Monkey Bread Tree, Upside Down Tree, Kremetart (Afrikaans), Mbuyu (Swahili), and many many other names.

This legendary tree has been widely cultivated for agricultural, horticultural, and sociocultural reasons for many hundreds of years.

The leaves of the Digitata Baobab can be used to treat fevers, when they aren’t being eaten as salad. The fruit is widely harvested and used for food, drinks, and more popularly, international exports. The roots of the tree provide a red dye which is used regionally across Africa and Tropical Asia.

The trees can grow to 100 feet tall and the largest African baobab on record measures over 150 feet around. Digitatas have massive ornate crowns that resemble an underground root system.

The leaves are palmate and can vary in size from plant to plant. Unique among baobabs, the pale flowers are situated at the end of a sometimes 3 foot long stalk, hanging down from the tree.

Digitata baobabs are not in threat of endangerment. They are found naturally occurring in over 30 African countries.

A note on Adansonia kilima

Adansonia kilima was described in 2012 as a separate African species, characterized by smaller flowers and varied growth patterns, and was thought to be prevalent across Africa, long assumed to be digitata. Later genetic work didn’t support it as a distinct species, and most botanists now treat it as part of Adansonia digitata.

Growing digitata

This is the one I recommend to most people. The seeds are reliable, the trees are forgiving, and they make great bonsai. Soak 24–36 hours, then sow about an inch deep in damp (not saturated) soil. See the germination guide and tree care guide.

Wide African baobab tree in savanna — Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source

Where to see it

West Africa

Bandia Reserve Near Dakar, Senegal
Baobab harvesters of northern Ghana Upper East Region, Ghana, and southern Burkina Faso

Southern Africa

Ombalantu Baobab Outapi, northern Namibia
Holboom Nyae Nyae Conservancy near Tsumkwe, Namibia
Baines' Baobabs Kudiakam Pan, Nxai Pan National Park, Botswana
Chapman's Baobab Ntwetwe Pan, Makgadikgadi, Botswana · Fell January 2016
Green's Baobab Gutsha Pan, 27 km south of Gweta, Botswana
Kubu Island Sowa Pan, Makgadikgadi, Botswana
The Big Tree Zambezi Drive, Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe
B'Ayoba Harare, Zimbabwe
Mapungubwe National Park Limpopo, South Africa, where it meets Botswana and Zimbabwe
Sagole Baobab East of Tshipise, Venda, Limpopo, South Africa
Baobab Guardians Venda, Limpopo, South Africa
EcoProducts Limpopo, South Africa
Sunland Baobab Sunland Farm near Modjadjiskloof, Limpopo, South Africa · Partly collapsed
Glencoe Baobab Glencoe Farm near Hoedspruit, Limpopo, South Africa · Split (2009), alive
Pretoria National Botanical Garden Pretoria, South Africa
Baobab Products Mozambique Manica Province, Mozambique
Baobab fruit of Malawi Mwanza District, Malawi