I thought they were Cycads at first (a class in gymnosperms). But these are angiosperms, apparently. Still look kind of similar to cycads, though, because of the clustered branches only at the apex. Cool tree.
this post was submitted on 22 Apr 2025
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Cycads have palm-like leaves though, so veeery different! I'd say baobabs are not too different in their growth habit from other Bombacoideae (Malvaceae). Compare with e.g. Ceiba, Pseudobombax, Cavanillesia. And the leaves look just like most Malvaceae plants as well ;)
Fun fact: Pseudobombax trees can actually do photosynthesis with their trunk, which is green (or at least has green streaks).
You're right, they do have very different leaves. Photosynthetic trunks are an interesting adaptation. Thanks for the fun fact.
I never took the time to look into this. They do have a primative look to them. I had to look up the flower. It was more complex than I expected.
Lookin like World 1-3
Not great for a tiny planet tho
MS Plant
It's pronounced M-SPAINT
but isn't that just the most efficient arrangement in a crowded forest where each tree elbows its neighbours out of the way for whatever sunlight they can get?
why waste energy in making branches and leaves low down when they'll forever be in the shade?
Or grow taller then giraffes
I think Baobab are evolved to survive wildfires and then spread seeds once everything around them is dead. perhaps the branches are only up high so they don't get caught by flames?
Even in baobab forest pictures they seem far enough apart for sunlight not to be an issue. I'd hazard either an environmental or animal caused adaptation (but I can't seem to find anything about why).
I'd also say for forests in general "crown shyness" means if they get similar enough height they usually avoid one another rather than compete.
Aren't baobabs absolutely ancient species of trees?
It could be that they evolved before trees figured shit out, and just... Never needed to change after that.
They evolved in a harsh arid environment, in this case Madagascar is where the tree in the picture is from, it's endangered too. Trees evolved way before baobab did this, the trunk swells up with water to survive the desert environment.
From the nature paper, they seem to be quite young, around 41million years ago, and the current species Madagascar around 20+myo.
Generally nature doesn’t keep doing a useless thing if there’s no longer any need to do it. Energy efficiency is a constant selective pressure in the absence of all other challenges.
My bet is that baobabs are shaped that way for very good reasons. The fact that the trees are spaced far apart even in baobab forests is a clue: the environment is very harsh, especially on saplings.
Since baobabs reproduce via many fruits and since they can be spaced very far apart my hypothesis is that they evolved to be very tall with featureless trunks in order to attract fruit-eating birds to carry their seeds. The tall and featureless trunks would make the trees difficult for ground-dwelling predators to climb, keeping the birds and their nests safe from attack.
I believe leopards are fairly common in these areas and they love to climb trees, although they prefer ones with lower, wider branches they rest on and even eat their prey within. Leopards have been known to carry large prey such as gazelles up into the branches of a tree to protect their kill from being stolen.
But energy efficiency is not always a challenge. See for example the vague nerve in giraffes, the appendix in humans or limbs in whales.
I have read of an African folk tale where baobab trees were the result of some deity pulling them out of the ground and punting then back in upside down.
Bonsai end game
You vs the guy she tells you not to worry about
Toy Story tree.