Baobab Pollination Research with WITS University

baobab research

It is baobab flowering time again giving us the chance to continue our research into the ecology and pollination of the baobab flower.  Anastashia Chetty is doing her MSc project on investigating the baobab flower morphology and processes that are involved in pollination.

Baobab pollination

Ana Chetty researching Baobab flower morphology

In South Africa,  baobabs begin to flower during the month of November, the flowers opening at night so quickly you can practically watch them as they open. They flower for just 12 hours and are spent by morning.  Anastashia and her research assistants, Alex and Prince spent the whole night monitoring and measuring the flowers before they wilt in the morning.  Dr Sarah Venter is co-supervising Ana with Dr Kelsey Glennon, Prof. Glynis Goodman and Prof Ed Witkowski.

Baobab pollination

The Baobab research team

Continue reading....

Find more interesting articles below

EcoProducts gets bigger!

EcoProducts gets bigger!

EcoProducts is expanding rapidly, so we found ourselves needing to move into bigger and much more spacious premises. And what better reason for a party!

Read more
One hundred colourful stories for rural kids

One hundred colourful stories for rural kids

One hundred colourful, new children’s books have just landed on the desk of the Baobab Foundation. These books are for our pre-schools in Venda and is published by Book Dash.  https://bookdash.org Book Dash is a South African initiative that believes every child should own one hundred books by the age of five. They gather creative professionals […]

Read more
Baobabs & Bicycles

Baobabs & Bicycles

For all you cycling fans out there, if you’re in Louis Trichardt this weekend, do stop by and check out the Kremetart Cycle Tour – so named because the route goes past a significant number of Baobab Trees on the way.   It’s fun for the whole family (there are kiddies races, stage races and mountain […]

Read more