Perrier's baobab is a critically endangered deciduous tree from northern Madagascar, rarely cultivated outside its native range. Growing it well means warm, dry, sunny conditions with very sparing water, and it is best treated as a conservation species rather than a common garden plant.
Family
Malvaceae (Mallow family)
Grows as
Tree
Light
Full sun
Water
Water sparingly and let the soil dry out fully between waterings, especially while leafless.
Soil
Free-draining sandy or gritty mix; avoid waterlogging.
Temperature
20–35 °C; protect below 10 °C
How easy
Hard
Native range
N. Madagascar
Climate
seasonally dry tropical
About
Adansonia perrieri, or Perrier's baobab, is a critically endangered species of deciduous tree, in the genus Adansonia. This species is endemic to northern Madagascar. It has been documented in only 10 locations, including the Ankarana, Ampasindava, Loky Manambato and Montagne d'Ambre protected areas. Most populations, however, are outside of protected areas. Each location has few individuals (the largest subpopulation has 43 trees). With an estimated population of fewer than 250 mature individuals and ongoing habitat decline due to fire and cutting for charcoal and timber or clearing for mining, this species has been assessed by IUCN as Critically Endangered. There are three species of baobab found in northern Madagascar, all sharing the common name "bozy".
Uses
Fruits are collected for their edible pulp, and trees are cut for charcoal or timber.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Adansonia perrieri by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.