Scientists Identify a New, Separate Baobab Species in Madagascar

Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, working with the Missouri Botanical Garden and Iowa State University, have recognized Adansonia bozy as a species distinct from Adansonia za, another Malagasy baobab it had previously been classified as part of. The findings were published in the journal Taxon.

Although the two look similar, genetic analysis showed that northern populations formerly assigned to A. za are more closely related to other baobabs from northern Madagascar. Before the reclassification, scientists recognized eight baobab species worldwide — one in Australia, one in continental Africa and six in Madagascar.

To collect samples, lead author Nisa Karimi had to locate individual trees while they were in flower, since several Malagasy species look nearly identical from their leaves alone. Each species blooms for only about a month, with flowers opening after dusk sometimes more than 100 feet up, requiring Karimi to use climbing equipment to reach them. Researchers then used targeted sequence capture, a technique that identifies and sequences hundreds of selected genes, to compare evolutionary relationships among the sampled trees.

Because A. bozy is believed to be endangered and Madagascar's conservation funding often prioritizes threatened species, the researchers say recognizing it separately could direct additional protection resources toward it, while removing its populations from A. za leaves that species with a smaller known range and population than previously thought.