Deciduous trees with soft fibrous wood. Trunks massive, unarmed, cylindric, tapering from the base or bottle-shaped. Leaves digitate; leaflets (1-)3-11. Flowers axillary and solitary, large. Calyx deeply 5-lobed. Petals 5, free. Stamens many, the filaments united into a tube in their lower part. Ovary 5-10-locular, with numerous ovules; stigma 5-10-lobed. Fruit woody, indehiscent, with many seeds embedded in a floury pulp. Seeds reniform. Derivation of name: after Michel Adanson (1727-1806), a French botanist who travelled extensively in Africa. Worldwide: 8 species; 1 in Africa; 6 in Madagascar and 1 in NW Australia. Mozambique: 1 taxon. |
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