Armstrong P (1977) Baobabs: remnant of Gondwanaland? Trees in South Africa, 28(4): 92-96, 3 pl. Reprinted from New Scientist 27 Jan. 1977.

A brief general account of Adansonia gregorii, found only in NW Australia, with photographs of habit, foliage, inflorescence and fruit. Some comparisons are made with the African A. digitata, and the relict distribution of Adansonia in Africa, Madagascar and Australia is discussed.

Baum D A, Small R L and Wendel J F (1998) Biogeography and floral evolution of Baobabs (Adansonia, Bombacaceae) as inferred from multiple data sets. Systematic Biology, 47(2): 181-207

The phylogeny of baobab trees was analyzed using four data sets: chloroplast DNA restriction sites, sequences of the chloroplast rpl16 intron, sequences of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of nuclear ribosomal DNA, and morphology. We sampled each of the eight species of Adansonia plus three outgroup taxa from tribe Adansonieae. These data were analyzed singly and in combination using parsimony. ITS and morphology provided the greatest resolution and were largely concordant. The two chloroplast data sets showed concordance with one another but showed significant conflict with ITS and morphology. A possible explanation for the conflict is genealogical discordance within the Malagasy Longitubae, perhaps due to introgression events. A maximum-likelihood analysis of branching times shows that the dispersal between Africa and Australia occurred well after the fragmentation of Gondwana and therefore involved overwater dispersal. The phylogeny does not permit unambiguous reconstruction of floral evolution but suggests the plausible hypothesis that hawkmoth pollination was ancestral in Adansonia and that there were two parallel switches to pollination by mammals in the genus.

Baum D A (1995) A systematic revision of Adansonia (Bombacaceae). Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden, 82(3): 440-470

The baobabs (Bombacaceae: Adansonia) are tropical trees native to Africa, Australia, and Madagascar but dispersed widely by humans. The members of the genus are united by several derived characters that serve to distinguish them from other Bombacaceae, including a characteristic, indehiscent fruit with reniform seeds and a powdery pulp. The systematics of Adansonia is revised, with three sections and eight species being recognized. The support for each species is discussed in the context of the "Genealogical Species Concept." Several nomenclatural problems are resolved, and a new combination, A. gibbosa (A. Cunn.) Guymer ex D. Baum, is made. In addition, the ecology, ethnobotany, and conservation status of Adansonia is summarized, focusing especially on the poorly known Malagasy and Australian species.

Bowman D M J S (1997) Observations on the demography of the Australian boab (Adansonia gibbosa) in the north-west of the Northern Territory, Australia. Australian Journal of Botany, 45(5): 893-90

A study of the size-class distributions of the Australian boab, Adansonia gibbosa (A.Cunn.) Guymer ex D.Baum, a tree endemic to north-western Australia, was conducted in Gregory National Park and Keep River National Park, in the Northern Territory. It was found that populations of A. gibbosa on alluvial plains had high densities of small, immature stems lt 10 cm dbh (diameter at breast height), and that the density of immature stems decreased with increasing distance from a river. By contrast, there was an absence of small size classes in a population growing on a sandstone escarpment. On limestone substrates, high densities of small size-class stems were observed at a site topographically protected from wildfire, but there was an absence of small size classes at a site exposed to wildfires. Differences in gross allocation patterns, as inferred from relationships between tree height, trunk diameter and height of the swollen trunk, were observed between alluvial, sandstone and limestone substrates. These differences suggest growth rates also differ on distinct substrates. There was a highly significant negative association between the presence of fruit and evidence of recent fire damage for stems greater than 10 cm dbh. This pattern may be related to the destruction of reproductive structures by late dry season fire. However, additional factors appear to control fruit production, as 36% of the unburnt stems gt 10 cm dbh also lacked fruit. Juvenile plants resprout from swollen tap roots after wildfire, thus frequent fires would be required to have a long-term impact on stands of A. gibbosa heavily stocked with juveniles that possess, swollen tap roots. However, it is unknown at what age juveniles develop swollen tap roots and if all juveniles with swollen tap roots resprout following fire damage. It is hypothesised that the local distribution of A. gibbosa is controlled by fire history, and that changes in fire regimes associated with cattle grazing are causing changes in the distribution of this species. More research is required to critically evaluate this conjecture.

Goncalves M L (1995) Cape Verde flora. Vascular plants. 25. Bombacaceae. Original Title: Flora de Cabo Verde. Plantas vasculares. 25. Bombacaceae. Flora de Cabo Verde, No. 25, 8 pp.

Adansonia digitata and Ceiba pentandra are described from Cape Verde.

Wild H and Goncalves M L (1979) Flora of Mozambique. 26. Bombacaceae. Original Title: Flora de Mocambique. 26. Bombacaceae, 11 pp, Centro de Botanica, Junta de Investigacoes Cientificas do Ultramar.; Lisbon; Portugal

The four genera represented in Mozambique are Adansonia (A. digitata), Rhodognaphalon (R. mossambicense, R. stolzii, R. schumannianum), Pachira (P. glabra) and Ceiba (C. pentandra). Descriptions and keys are given.