Adansonia suarezensis

Botanical Description

Adansonia suarezensis is a deciduous tree with a sparse, open, flat-topped crown; it can grow up to 25 metres tall. The cylindrical bole can be 2 metres in diameter. The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and medicine. The deciduous forests where this species is found are being rapidly devastated, primarily for charcoal and timber. Although the baobabs are usually left standing so they can be exploited for fruit, there is no evidence of any regeneration in these disturbed ecosystems. Already there are very few remnant forest patches left intact and, thus, at the current rate of destruction this species is likely to be ecologically extinct (i.e., unable to regenerate in situ) in this area within the next decade or two[ 727 Title Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden Vol. 82 Publication Author Website http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org Publisher Missouri Botanical Garden; St. Louis. Year 1995 ISBN 0026-6493 Description A botanical journal containing various articles, including a monograph of the genus Adansonia (Baobabs). It can be downloaded from the Internet. ]. A new subpopulation more recently found further, that is further south, in Mahory Forest, is currently regenerating healthily[ 338 Title IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Publication Author Website http://www.iucnredlist.org/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat. ]. The plant is classified as 'Endangered' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2011)[ 338 Title IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Publication Author Website http://www.iucnredlist.org/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat. ].