Abstract
The article presents the radiocarbon investigation of the baobab of Jhunsi, Allahabad and the Parijaat tree at Kintoor, two old African baobabs from northern India. Several wood samples extracted from these baobabs were analysed by using AMS radiocarbon dating. The radiocarbon date of the oldest samples were 779 ± 41 BP for the baobab of Jhunsi and 793 ± 37 BP for the baobab of Kintoor. The corresponding calibrated ages are 770 ± 25 and 775 ± 25 calendar years. These values indicate that both trees are around 800 years old and become the oldest dated African baobabs outside Africa.
Highlights
The African baobab (Adansonia digitata L.), belongs to the Bombacoideae subfamily of Malvaceae and is the best-known of the eight or nine species of the Adansonia genus [1,2,3,4]
The original approach described by Patrut et al is based on AMS radiocarbon dating of tiny segments extracted from wood samples collected from inner cavities, deep incisions/ entrances in the trunk, fractured stems and from the outer part/exterior of large baobabs [7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14]
We found extremely low values, more precisely 45.2% for the baobab of Jhunsi, Allahabad and only 39.7% for the Parijaat tree at Kintoor
Summary
The African baobab (Adansonia digitata L.), belongs to the Bombacoideae subfamily of Malvaceae and is the best-known of the eight or nine species of the Adansonia genus [1,2,3,4]. The African baobab is endemic to the tropical arid savanna of the African continent between the latitudes 16 ̊ N and 26 ̊ S. An extensive research project was started in 2005 by Patrut et al in order to clarify several poorly understood aspects on the morphology, development and age of the African baobab. The original approach described by Patrut et al is based on AMS (accelerator mass spectrometry) radiocarbon dating of tiny segments extracted from wood samples collected from inner cavities, deep incisions/ entrances in the trunk, fractured stems and from the outer part/exterior of large baobabs [7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
