Adansonia gregorii, commonly known as the
boab, is a tree in the
family Malvaceae. As with other
baobabs, it is easily recognised by the swollen base of its trunk, which forms a massive
caudex, giving the tree a bottle-like appearance. Endemic to Australia, boab occurs in the
Kimberley region of
Western Australia, and east into the
Northern Territory. It is the only baobab to occur in Australia, the others being native to
Madagascar (six species) and mainland Africa and the
Arabian Peninsula (two species). Boab ranges from 5 to 15 meters in height, usually between 9 and 12 metres, with a broad bottle-shaped trunk. Its trunk base may be extremely large; trunks with a diameter of over five metres have been recorded.
A. gregorii is
deciduous, losing its leaves during the dry winter period and producing new leaves and large white flowers between December and May.