Za, Za boabab
Adansonia za

Family: Malvaceae

What it is like

A large tree. It grows 30 m high. The trunk is thick and can be 3 m across. It narrows towards the crown. The bark is grey and smooth but with ridges. The crown is rounded. The leaves are compound with 3-7 leaflets. The leaflets are an oblong sword shape. They are 5-10 cm long by 2 cm wide. The middle leaflets are larger than the side ones. They have long leaf stalks. The flowers are bright yellow with a somewhat red base. The fruit are woody capsules 10-30 cm long by 5-15 cm wide. The seeds are flattened and kidney shaped.

There are 6-8 Adansonia species. Also put in the family Bombacaceae. In the subfamily Bombacoideae.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. It is native to Madagascar. It grows on sedimentary or crystalline rock. It grows from sea level to 600 m altitude.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, East Africa, Madagascar (country/location of origin)

How it is used for food

The pulp of the fruit is eaten. The roots of seedlings is eaten. The seeds are eaten.

Edible parts

Leaves, roots, fruit, seeds, vegetable

How it is grown

Plants are grown from seed. The germination of seeds is poor.

Its other names

Local names

Bontana, Bozo, Bozy, Zabo

Synonyms

Adansonia alba Jum. & H. Perrier; Adansonia bozy Jum. & H. Perrier;