Fony baobab

Description

Adansonia rubrostipa, commonly known as fony baobab, is a deciduous tree in the Malvaceae family. Of eight species of baobab currently recognized, six are indigenous to Madagascar, including fony baobab. It is endemic to western Madagascar, found from Parc Nationale Baie de Baly, south. It is associated with well-drained soils and is found in dry and spiny forests. It occurs in the following protected areas: Amoron'i Onilahy, Baie de Baly, Menabe Antimena, Mikea, Namoroka, Ranobe PK 32, Tsimanampesotse, Tsimembo Manambolomaty, Tsinjoriake (La Table/St Augustin). Fony baobab is the smallest of the baobabs, easily identified by its distinctive reddish bark. It is usually bottle-shaped and has toothed leaves and round fruit.It was first described by H.Perrier de la Bathie in 1909. This is a small to large deciduous tree 5–20 metres (16–66 ft) tall with reddish brown, peeling bark. The trunk is usually a distinctive bottle shape. Main branches are often horizontal, then curving upward toward the tips. Branches sometimes have spines on the upper surface. Fony baobab is associated with well drained, dry habitats on calcareous soils. It is found in dry forests and it is an important component of the spiny thicket or "spiny desert" of southern Madagascar, a globally distinctive ecoregion. Leaves are present from November to April and are made up of 3-5 stalkless (sessile) leaflets with finely toothed edges (teeth about 1 millimetre (0.039 in) long). Most baobab species have untoothed leaves. Flowers are large, showy and highly scented. They emerge when in the trees are in leaf, usually from February to April. Flower buds are 16-28 centimetres (6.3-11.0 in) long and cylindrical, set on a green, 1-2.5 centimetres (0.39-0.98 in) long stalk. The outer part of the perianth, the calyx, is made up of yellowish green lobes with faint reddish stripes. As the flower opens, the calyx lobes fold back and become twisted tightly at the base of the flower. The petals are bright yellow to orange-yellow, spreading, long and narrow but with expanded overlapping bases. Inside the petals is a pale yellow staminal tube (a tube made up of fused stamens) up to 10 centimetres (3.9 in) long and 1-1.2 centimetres (0.39-0.47 in) in diameter. Set at the top of the staminal tube are 100-150 filaments 10-12 centimetres (3.9-4.7 in) long, the outer unfused.