Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Palm or Cycad
Tree
Origin
United States, Southeastern United States
Middle Africa, Southern Africa, Madagascar
Types
Rhapidophyllum hystrix
African Baobab, Grandidier’s Baobab, Boab
Number of Varieties
158
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Cold Regions, Subtropical climates
Dry and Young forest Heaths, Wild
USDA Hardiness Zone
6-1010-14
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-6
12-9
Sunset Zone
H1, H2, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
H1, H2, 23, 24
Habit
Clump-Forming
Upright/Erect
Plant Size
Minimum Height
180.00 cm1,830.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
180.00 cm1,520.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
White, Light Yellow, Lavender
White, Ivory
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Dark Red, Brown, Sienna
Brown
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Dark Green
Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Dark Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Dark Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Dark Green
-
Shape
Leaf Shape
Needle like
Ovate
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Partial Sun, Partial shade, Full Shade
Full Sun
Growth Rate
Very Slow
Very Slow
Type of Soil
Clay, Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Average
Well drained
Bloom Time
Early Summer, Summer
Spring, Late Spring, Early Summer
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Wet Site, Drought, Soil Compaction
Drought, Salt
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Needs small amount of water
Do not water frequently, Does not require lot of watering
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Acidic, Neutral
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Type
Clay, Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Average
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Partial Sun, Partial shade, Full Shade
Full Sun
Pruning
Prune to control growth, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Remove branches
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, can go long without fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Red blotch
Caterpillars
Plant Tolerance
Cold climate, Frost
Drought
Flowers
Insignificant
Showy
Flower Petal Number
Single
Single
Fruits
Showy Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Edible Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrance
Fragrant Flower
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Leaf
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Bark/Stem
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Foliage
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Bark
✔
✘
✔
✘
Foliage Texture
Coarse
Medium
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Rabbits, Small mammals
Birds
Allergy
drowsiness, Scratches
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
bank hedging, Ornamental use
-
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification, Ethnobotanic
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Aging, Frostbite
anti-allergy, Asthma, Skin irritation
Part of Plant Used
Leaves
Whole plant
Other Uses
Application in Handicrafts, Showy Purposes
-
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Feature Plant, Foundation, Mixed Border, Tropical
Feature Plant, Shade Trees, Topiary / Bonsai / Espalier, Tropical
Botanical Name
RHAPIDOPHYLLUM hystrix
ADANSONIA digitata
Common Name
Needle Palm, Porcupine plant
Baobab, Dead Rat Tree
In Hindi
सुई ताड़
Baobab
In German
Nadel -Palme
Affenbrotbaum
In French
palmier aiguille
Baobab
In Spanish
palmera aguja
Baobab
In Greek
βελόνα φοίνικα
Baobab
In Portuguese
palmeira agulha
baobá
In Polish
Igła palma
Baobab
In Latin
acus palma
Baobab
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Tracheophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Arecales
Malvales
Family
Arecaceae
Bombacaceae
Genus
Rhapidophyllum
Adansonia
Clade
Angiosperms, Commelinids, Monocots
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Tribe
Corypheae
-
Subfamily
Coryphoideae
Bombacoideae
Number of Species
108
1
27800
👆🏻