Bottle Tree, Australian Boabab
It is a tropical plant. It is native to Australia. It occurs in stony country in dry regions. It suits hardiness zones 11-12.
Also known as:
Boabab, Cream of tartar tree, Djungeri, Jamulang, Largarda, Largida
Synonyms
- Adansonia gibbosa (A. Cunn.) Guymer ex D. A. Baum
- Adansonia gregorii f. globosa Ostenf.
- Adansonia rupestris Kent
- Adansonia stanburyana Hochr.
- Baobabus gregorii (F. Muell.) Kuntze
- Capparis gibbosa A. Cunn.
Edible Portion
- Fruit, Seeds, Leaves, Sap, Pith, Nuts, Roots
Where does Bottle Tree grow?
Found in: Australia, Europe, India, Slovenia, Spain
Notes: There are 6-8 Adansonia species. Also put in the family Bombacaceae.
Status: It is grown commercially in Spain as a source of cream of tartar.
Growing Bottle Tree, Australian Boabab
Cultivation: Plants are grown from seed.
Edible Uses: The seeds are eaten raw or roasted. The pith of the young fruit is eaten roasted. Sap from the trunk and branches may be eaten. It is dissolved in water to make a drink. The pith from the trunk and branches can be eaten after boiling.
Production: Trees live for a long time. Flowering occurs in October to December and fruiting in January to April.
Nutrition Info
per 100g edible portion| Edible Part | Energy (kcal) | Protein (g) | Iron (mg) | Vitamin A (ug) | Vitamin c (mg) | Zinc (mg) | % Water |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seed & pulp | 357 | 13.9 | 2 | - | 6 | 3.6 | 9.2 |
| Pulp | 124 | 4.6 | 1.4 | - | - | 0.6 | 61.8 |
References
Ambasta S.P. (Ed.), 2000, The Useful Plants of India. CSIR India. p 13
Barwick, M., 2004, Tropical and Subtropical Trees. A Worldwide Encyclopedic Guide. Thames and Hudson p 9
Bindon, P., 1996, Useful Bush Plants. Western Australian Museum. p 33
Biocyclopedia Edible Plant Species. biocyclopedia.org
Bircher, A. G. & Bircher, W. H., 2000, Encyclopedia of Fruit Trees and Edible Flowering Plants in Egypt and the Subtropics. AUC Press. p 10 (As Adansonia gregorii)
Bodkin, F., 1991, Encyclopedia Botanica. Cornstalk publishing, p 48
Brock, J., 1993, Native Plants of Northern Australia, Reed. p 80
Cherikoff V. & Isaacs, J., The Bush Food Handbook. How to gather, grow, process and cook Australian Wild Foods. Ti Tree Press, Australia p 150, 198
Crawford, I. M., 1982, Traditional Aboriginal Plant Resources in the Kalumburu Area: Aspects in Ethno-economics. Records of the Western Australian Museum Supplement No. 15
Cronin, L., 1989, The Concise Australian Flora. Reed. p 168
Cundall, P., (ed.), 2004, Gardening Australia: flora: the gardener's bible. ABC Books. p 97
Elliot, W.R., & Jones, D.L., 1982, Encyclopedia of Australian Plants suitable for cultivation. Vol 2. Lothian. p 150
Etherington, K., & Imwold, D., (Eds), 2001, Botanica's Trees & Shrubs. The illustrated A-Z of over 8500 trees and shrubs. Random House, Australia. p 75
Facciola, S., 1998, Cornucopia 2: a Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, p 50 (As Adansonia gregorii)
Hearne, D.A., & Rance, S.J., 1975, Trees for Darwin and Northern Australia. AGPS, Canberra p 13, Pl 2 & Colour Pl 2
Hedrick, U.P., 1919, (Ed.), Sturtevant's edible plants of the world. p 26
Hiddins, L., 1999, Explore Wild Australia with the Bush Tucker Man. Penguin Books/ABC Books. p129
Holliday, I., 1989, A Field Guide to Australian Trees. Hamlyn. p 34
Isaacs, J., 1987, Bush Food, Aboriginal Food and Herbal Medicine. Weldons. p 89
Kenneally, K.E., Edinger, D. C., and Willing T., 1996, Broome and Beyond, Plants and People of the Dampier Peninsula, Kimberley, Western Australia. Department of Conservation and Land Management. p 71
Kunkel,
Lazarides, M. & Hince, B., 1993, Handbook of Economic Plants of Australia, CSIRO. p 9
Menninger, E.A., 1977, Edible Nuts of the World. Horticultural Books. Florida p 63
Morley, B.D., & Toelken, H.R., (Eds), 1983, Flowering Plants in Australia. Rigby. p 126
Nicholson, N & H., 2000, Australian Rainforest Plants, V. Terania Rainforest Publishing. NSW. p 7
Paczkowska, G. & Chapman, A.R., 2000, The Western Australian Flora. A Descriptive Catalogue. Western Australian Herbarium. p 180 (As Adansonia gregorii)
Petheram, R.J. and Kok, B., 2003, Plants of the Kimberley Region of Western Australia. UWA Press p 373 (As Adansonia gregorii)
Recher, P, 2001, Fruit Spirit Botanical Gardens Plant Index. www.nrg.com.au/~recher/ seedlist.html p 4 (As Adansonia gregorii)
RIRDC, 2010, New Root Vegetables for the Native Food Industry, Australian Government RIRDC Publication 9/161
Smith, M & Kalotas, A. C., 1985, Bardi Plants: An Annotated List of Plants and Their Use by the Bardi Aborigines of Dampierland, in North-western Australia. Rec. West Aust. Mus. 1985, 12(3): 317-359
Smith, N. M., 1991, Ethnobotanical Field Notes from the Northern Territory, Australia, J. Adelaide Bot. Gard. 14(1): 1-65
Smith, Nicholas et al. 1993, Ngarinyman Ethnobotany: Aboriginal Plant Use from the Victoria River Area Northern Australia. Northern Territory Botanical Bulletin No 16. Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory. p 8, 7.
Tanaka,
Townsend, K., 1994, Across the Top. Gardening with Australian Plants in the tropics. Society for Growing Australian Plants, Townsville Branch Inc. p 70
Vigilante, T., et al, 2013, Island country: Aboriginal connections, values and knowledge of the Western Kimberley islands in the context of an island biological survey. Records of the Western Australian Museum Supplement 81: 145-182
Wheeler, J.R.(ed.), 1992, Flora of the Kimberley Region. CALM, Western Australian Herbarium, p 197
Wickens, G.E., 1995, Edible Nuts. FAO Non-wood forest products. FAO, Rome. p 110
World Checklist of Useful Plant Species 2020. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Young, J., (Ed.), 2001, Botanica's Pocket Trees and Shrubs. Random House. p 67