Adansonia za
Adansonia za is a species of baobab in the genus "Adansonia" of the family Malvaceae (previously included in the Bombacaceae). It was originally named in French as '. Common names in Malagasy include ', ', ', ', ', and , the last of which gives the plant its specific epithet. Eight "Adansonia" species are recognized, with six endemic to Madagascar. "Adansonia za" is the most widespread of the Madagascar endemics. Description. "Adansonia za" is a large thick-stemmed (pachycaul) deciduous tree, about tall and about in diameter. The trunk and branches have a brownish-rose colored hue. The tree is widest at the base, narrowing  noticeably towards the top of the tree. Leaves. Leaves are palmately lobed with 5 to 8 lobes per leaf. They are long and wide, but often bigger in trees in the northern part of the range, where the leaves can be up to long. The leaf margin is entire (without teeth). Flowers. The flower buds are long green cylinders which can resemble oversized beans and could be mistaken for a fruit. Flowers open with or soon after the leaves emerge at the beginning of the wet season. The bud opens with the curling back of the outside layer of the  flower bud, revealing yellow and red petals with long, yellowish stamens. The corolla is long and wide. Petals are long and wide. The flowers are musty-sweet scented. Flowering period extends from November to February. Flowers are usually pollinated by moths of the family Sphingidae including "Coelonia solani", "Coelonia brevis" and "Coelonia mauritii". Fruits. Fruits are usually ovoid and long by wide. They have a blackish, tough, thick outer shell (pericarp). They contain kidney-shaped, laterally-flattened seeds. The seeds have an oil content of 11 percent. In southern populations, the fruits have a markedly thickened peduncle, but this feature  is less prominent in northern populations. Distribution. "Adansonia za" is endemic to southern and north-western Madagascar. Populations are severely fragmented and numbers are declining due to habitat loss and logging. Habitat. This plant grows in arid scrublands, in deciduous forests, savannah and in Madagascar spiny forests. It prefers sunny areas and well drained soils, at an elevation up to above sea level. It is the dominant tree in some of the southern deciduous forests, becoming less common to the north. Largest tree. Possibly the largest tree of this species (by circumference) grows near Reakaly village north-west from Ampanihy . The circumference of its trunk is approximately . Uses. The fruit pulp and roots of seedlings as well as the seeds are edible. Seeds contain 11% oil. Wood may be fed to cattle during droughts and the trunk can be hollowed out to store water. The bark fibre can be use for cloth or rope and the flowers may be used to sooth sore throats.