First record of baobab (Adansonia digitata L.) in Uganda
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Date
2016
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution
Abstract
The baobab (Adansonia digitata L.) is a
remarkable key tree species with different uses in
many African countries. International interest in the
species has intensified in recent years. Despite the
wide distribution of the baobab in many African
regions, the tree has been reported to be absent in
Uganda. In 2015 and 2016, research trips in the
Central, Western, Eastern and Northern Regions of
Uganda were conducted to screen the cultivated and
natural flora for baobabs. As a result, four vigorous
baobab trees aged 9 and 22 years were identified in
two gardens in the Iganga and Soroti Districts in the
Eastern Region of Uganda. The origins of the planting
materials were Nyala in Sudan and Mombasa in
Kenya. To our knowledge, these are the first scientific
records of baobab in Uganda and some research
questions and key propositions are formulated based
on this discovery.
Description
Keywords
Adansonia digitata, Baobab, East Africa, Fruit tree, Malvaceae, Uganda
Citation
Gebauer, J., Whitney, C. W., & Tabuti, J. R. (2016). First record of baobab (Adansonia digitata L.) in Uganda. Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution, 63(5), 755-762. DOI 10.1007/s10722-016-0387-y