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. 2015 Mar 25;10(3):e0121170.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0121170. eCollection 2015.

Searching for the oldest baobab of Madagascar: radiocarbon investigation of large Adansonia rubrostipa trees

Adrian Patrut  1 , Karl F von Reden  2 , Pascal Danthu  3 , Jean-Michel Leong Pock-Tsy  4 , Roxana T Patrut  5 , Daniel A Lowy  6
Affiliations

Searching for the oldest baobab of Madagascar: radiocarbon investigation of large Adansonia rubrostipa trees

Adrian Patrut et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

We extended our research on the architecture, growth and age of trees belonging to the genus Adansonia, by starting to investigate large individuals of the most widespread Malagasy species. Our research also intends to identify the oldest baobabs of Madagascar. Here we present results of the radiocarbon investigation of the two most representative Adansonia rubrostipa (fony baobab) specimens, which are located in south-western Madagascar, in the Tsimanampetsotse National Park. We found that the fony baobab called "Grandmother" consists of 3 perfectly fused stems of different ages. The radiocarbon date of the oldest sample was found to be 1136 ± 16 BP. We estimated that the oldest part of this tree, which is mainly hollow, has an age close to 1,600 yr. This value is comparable to the age of the oldest Adansonia digitata (African baobab) specimens. By its age, the Grandmother is a major candidate for the oldest baobab of Madagascar. The second investigated specimen, called the "polygamous baobab", consists of 6 partially fused stems of different ages. According to dating results, this fony baobab is 1,000 yr old. This research is the first investigation of the structure and age of Malagasy baobabs.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. Map of Madagascar, showing the Toliara province (in yellow) and the position of the Tsimanampetsotse National Park (marked by the red arrow).
Fig 2
Fig 2. General view of the old Grandmother.
Fig 3
Fig 3. The strange looking tri-stemmed trunk of the Grandmother showing its various sized bulbuous formations.
Fig 4
Fig 4. Cross-section of Grandmother (at 1.30 m above ground) showing the 3 fused stems (I, II and III) and the projection of sampling points’ positions (1, 2 and 3).
Fig 5
Fig 5. Western view of the polygamous baobab with stem numbering (from I to VI).
Fig 6
Fig 6. Eastern view of the polygamous baobab with stem numbering.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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    1. Patrut A, von Reden KF, Lowy DA, Alberts AH, Pohlman JW, Wittmann R, et al. Radiocarbon dating of a very large African baobab. Tree Physiol. 2007;27: 1569–1574. - PubMed
    1. Patrut A, von Reden KF, Lowy DA, Mayne DH, Elder KE, Roberts ML, et al. Comparative AMS radiocarbon dating of pretreated versus non-pretreated wood samples. Nucl Instr and Meth B. 2010;268: 910–913.

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