The baobab tree (Adansonia digitata L) is a member of the Bombacaceae family & a genus of eight species of tree. The baobab is widely distributed through the savannas & drier regions of Africa but it is also common in America, India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, China & Jamaica. The generic name honours Michel Adanson, the French naturalist who described Adansonia for the first time. Digitata refers to the fingers of a h&, which the leaflets bring to mind. The tree is also commonly called the upside-down tree, bottle tree, & monkey-bread tree. The trees reach heights of 20 metres with a trunk 10 metres in diameter & branches 50 metres in diameter. The baobab has long been an important source of human nutrition. Indigenous peoples traditionally use the leaves, bark, roots, fruit & seeds as foodstuffs, as well as in medicines for humans & animals.