Adansonia
- proper noun
- Specialized
:
Adansonia
- Baobab (Adansonia digitata) is an undersung hero of arid Africa.
Examples
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Tourists flock to see the towering Adansonia trees during their visit to Madagascar.
-
In many African cultures, the Adansonia is a symbol of strength and resilience.
-
The fruit of the Adansonia tree is often eaten by both humans and animals.
Synonyms
2
8.9
A large African tree with a very thick trunk and large fruit with a soft inside you can eat
A group of large tropical trees called baobabs with very thick trunks and edible fruit
Compounds
- Specialized
A very large African tree with a thick trunk that makes an edible fruit called monkey bread
- Specialized
A large Australian tree with a thick bottle-shaped trunk and sour fruit
- Specialized
A group of large tropical trees called baobabs with very thick trunks and edible fruit
Surface Forms
Morphology
Adansonia = Adanson (opaque) = Adanson + ia
Same Latinized genus formation (Adanson + -ia); the suffix is taxonomic and not semantically transparent to general learners.
Etymology
Adansonia is named after the French plant scientist Adanson, who studied plants in the 1700s. The ending -ia is a common way to name a group of plants, so Adansonia means 'of Adanson' and is the scientific name for the baobab trees.