Rainfall
250–4,200 mm/yr
Broad absolute FAO envelope; 600–1,500 mm is listed as optimal
MARU ingredientDeciduous tree
Baobab
Adansonia digitata
A long-lived dry-country tree shaped by seasonal water, night-opening flowers and an extraordinary number of relationships with people.
Family · Malvaceae
Distribution
Where it grows.
African baobab is widespread through drier tropical Africa. In the south it reaches northern South Africa through Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique.[1]
- Angola
- Zambia
- Namibia
- Botswana
- Zimbabwe
- Malawi
- Mozambique
- South Africa
Harvest season
Dry pods, regional calendars
Flowers open in early summer in South African records. The woody fruits mature later and may remain on the tree into the dry season; collection dates vary considerably across Africa.[1]
Sustainability
Old trees do not equal secure regeneration
Baobabs can persist for centuries, yet local recruitment may still be weak. Fruit and seed harvest should be evaluated alongside seedling survival, land use and bark damage rather than relying on the species’ iconic longevity.[1]
Chemical composition
Seed-oil fatty acids.
Values are from one supercritical-CO₂ extraction study; its warm-pressed reference differed, especially in palmitic acid.[3]
Oleic37.0%
Palmitic30.0%
Linoleic29.0%
Stearic4.1%
Wildlife interactions
Part of a living system.
Flowers after dark
Large flowers open late in the day and are pollinated at night by fruit bats in the South African account.[1]
A living resource
Cavities, flowers, fruit and bark make mature trees habitat and food infrastructure. The ecological importance of an old tree extends beyond annual fruit yield.[1]
Traditional relationships
Knowledge has context.
Food, fibre and practical material
SANBI records drinks and foods from fruit and leaves, fibre from bark and many local medicinal preparations. Seed oil is only one part of this wider relationship.[1]
A balanced, richer oil profile
The oleic–linoleic–palmitic balance supports baobab oil’s use as a conditioning emollient. That is a formulation inference, not a human clinical result.[3]
Composition, not topical clinical evidence
The featured study investigated extraction and composition. No controlled human skincare outcome should be inferred from that chemistry alone.[3]
References
Follow the evidence.
Reviewed 21 July 2026. Botanical ranges and research conclusions may change as records improve.
Cite this page
Maru Skincare™ (2026). Baobab (Adansonia digitata). African Desert Botanical Atlas. Reviewed 21 July 2026.
https://maruskincare.com/za/botanical-atlas/baobab
Permanent page link ↗- 1Adansonia digitataSouth African National Biodiversity Institute · Botanical reference
- 2Adansonia digitata — Ecocrop datasheetFood and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations · Botanical reference
- 3A sustainable approach to extracting baobab oil: neat supercritical CO₂ optimizationRSC Advances, via PubMed · Peer-reviewed research
From the Atlas to the bottle
Baobab in Maru skincare.
This botanical is part of the Maru range. Read how the ingredient behaves on skin, or explore the body oils it lives in.
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