This document contains a questionnaire to collect data on the morphological characteristics of baobab trees, leaves, fruits, fibers, pulp, and seeds. It includes descriptors for tree height and shape, bark texture, leaf shape and hairiness, fruit shape and color, fiber adherence and texture, pulp texture and aroma, and seed shape and testa color. Quantitative measurements are also requested for leaf length and width, fruit length and diameter, pulp weight, and seed length, width, thickness, and weight. The goal is to characterize baobab accessions through morphological descriptions and measurements.

1. Page | 1
Baobab descriptors for
Farm / Questionnaire Code:
Collecting date:
Region/Province: Latitude [S˚]:
District: Longitude [E˚]:
Location: Elevation :
1. Tree
1.1 Height of mature tree (m)
1.2 Trunk circumference / DBH (cm)
1.3 Tree shape
1 Ellipsoid
2 Obloid
3 Semi-circular
4 Irregular
1 2 3 4
1.4 Crown Diameter (m)
1.5 Crown Shape
1 Oblong
2 Polygonal / pyramidal
3 Semi-circular
99 Other (describe)
1 2 3

2. Page | 2
1.6 Tree growth habit
1 Erect
2 Spreading
3 Drooping
1.7 Branching Type
1 Bush
2 Pyramidal
99 Other (describe)
1 2
1.8 Density of Branches
1 Sparse
2 Medium
3 Dense
1.9 Branch angle
Attachment to main trunk
1 Narrow (<30°)
2 Medium (31-60°)
3 Wide (>60°)
1.10 Shape of Trunk
1 Cylindrical / tube-shaped
2 Bell-shaped
3 Cone-shaped
4 Concave
1 2 3 4

3. Page | 3
1.11 Bark Texture
1 Smooth / Soft
2 Wrinkled / Rough
1.12 Bark Colour (+specify with colour chart and give colour chart number)
1 Grey
2 Brown
3 Reddish-brown
2. Leaf
2.1 Leaf attitude in relation to branch
1 Semi-erect
2 Horizontal
3 Semi-drooping
99 Other
2.2 Number of leaflets of mature leaves
1 Simple
2 Three leaflets
3 Five leaflets
4 Seven leaflets
99 Other (give number of leaflets)
1 2 3
1 2 3 4

4. Page | 4
2.3 Leaf blade shape of leaflet
1 Elliptic
2 Oblong
3 Ovate
4 Obovate
5 Lanceolate
99 Other
2.4 Leaflet apex shape
1 Slightly acute
2 Acute
3 Apiculate
4 Cuspidate
5 Obtuse / Rounded
6 Acuminate
1 2 3 4 5 6
2.5 Leaflet base shape
1 Acute
2 Attenuate
3 Accuminate
2.6 Leaflet margin/ Outline of Leaves
1 Smooth / Regular
2 Uneven / Irregular
1 2
1 2 3
1 2 3 4 5

5. Page | 5
2.7 Leaf fragrance when crushed
0 Absent
1 Mild
2 Strong
2.8 Taste of leaf (test for leaf sweetness by tasting / chewing on them)
NB: Leaves to be tasted are neither very mature nor too young i.e. the edible ones.
1 Sweet
2 Sour
3 Bitter
4 Neutral
5 Other (describe)
2.9 Leaf sliminess (test for leaf sliminess by pressing leaf between the thumb and the first finger. Use both young and mature
leaves)
2.9.1 Young Leaf
1 Not slimy
2 Slightly slimy
3 Moderately slimy
4 Very slimy
2.9.2 Mature Leaf
1 Not slimy
2 Slightly slimy
3 Moderately slimy
4 Very slimy
2.10 Colour of young leaf (+specify with colour chart and give colour chart number)
1 Pale green
2 Green
2.11 Colour of fully developed leaf (+specify with colour chart and give colour chart number)
1 Pale green
2 Green
3 Dark green
2.12 Leaf hairiness / Pubescence (on the upper side of the leaf)
2.12.1 Young Leaf
0 Absent
1 Slightly hairy
2 Hairy
3 Very hairy
2.12.2 Mature Leaf
0 Absent
1 Slightly hairy
2 Hairy
3 Very hairy

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Quantitative characterisation of leaves
Pick 10 mature and healthy leaves at random and measure the length of the leaf petioles.
Then separate the 10 middle leaflets for quantitative measurements as given below and fill the table.
Farm / Questionnaire Code: Collecting date:
Analysis / characterization date:
Leaf No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Petiole of Leaf Length (cm)
Petiole of Leaflet Length (cm)
Leaflet Length (cm)
Width (cm)

7. Page | 7
3. Fruit
Baobab fruit-related descriptors in Lab for the accession
Farm Code:
Collecting date:
Region/Province: Latitude [S] :
District: Longitude [E] :
Location: Elevation :
3.1 Fruit qualitative traits (randomly collect 10- 20 mature and healthy fruits with their stalks per tree)
3.1.1 Fruit shape
1 Oblong- 2 Oblong- 3 Ellipsoid 4 Globose 5 Pyriform 6 Reniform 7 Obovate 8 Ovate 99 Other
Cylindrical Irregular
3.1.2 Shape of the fruit apex
1 Acute / Pointed
2 Obtuse
3 Round
4 Concave
99 Other
3.1.3 Fruit stalk insertion
1 Vertical
2 Slightly oblique
3 Oblique
3.1.4 Fruit neck prominence
1 Absent
2 Slightly prominent
3 Prominent
4 Very prominent
1 2 3 4
1 2 3
1 2 3 4
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

8. Page | 8
3.1.5 Fruit beak type
1 Absent
2 Perceptible (Can slightly be seen)
3 Pointed
4 Prominent
99 Other
3.1.6 Fruit shell hairiness
1 Evenly hairy
2 Partly hairy
3 Not hairy
3.1.7 Colour of hairs on the fruit skin (+ specify with colour chart and give colour chart number)
1 Green
2 Gray
3 Yellowish
99 Other
Fruit ground colour (remove the hairs and specify with colour chart and give colour chart number)
1 Black
2 Brown
3 Green
4 Gray
5 Yellowish
99 Other
3.1.8 Contour (evaluate the fruit cross section)
1 Absent
2 Shallow Contoured
3 Deeply Contoured
3.1.9 Fruit shell surface texture
1 Smooth
2 Wrinkled
3.1.10 Shell hardness to crack.... (Use fingers to determine shell hardness by breaking a piece of shell)
1 Easily cracked
2 Slightly hard
3 Hard
4 Very Hard
1 2 3 4
1 2 3

9. Page | 9
3.2 Fibre traits
3.2.1 Adherence of fibre to fruit shell
1 Weak 2 Intermediate 3 Strong
3.2.2 Quantity / amount of fibre in fruit
1 Low
2 Intermediate
3 High
3.2.3 Colour of fibres at the fibres central part (+ specify with colour chart and give colour chart number)
1 White
2 Cream
3 Orange
4 Brown
99 Others
3.2.4 Texture of fibres in fruit
1 Soft
2 Intermediate
3 Coarse
3.3 Pulp traits
3.3.1 Adherence of pulpy seed to fibre
1 Weak
2 Intermediate
3 Firm / Strong
3.3.2 Adherence of fruit pulp to seed (scratch with your finger nails)
1 Weak
2 Intermediate
3 Firm / Strong
3.3.3 Pulp texture of ripe fruit
1 Soft / Powderly
2 Intermediate
3 Firm
3.3.4 Pulp sweetness (taste a bit of the pulp)
1 Very Sweet
2 Sweet
3 Slightly Sweet
3.3.5 Pulp sourness
1 Sour
2 Slightly Sour
3 Very Sour
3.3.6 Pulp bitterness
1 Not Bitter
2 Slightly Bitter
3 Very Bitter
3.3.7 Pulp aroma / scent
1 No aroma
2 Mild
3 Perceptible
4 Strong

10. Page | 10
3.3.8 Pulp colour of ripe fruit (+specify with colour chart and give colour chart number)
1 White
2 Cream
3 Light orange
4 Dark orange
99 Other
3.4 Seed traits
3.4.1 Seed shape
1 Oblong
2 Reniform
3 Very Reniform
99 Other
3.4.2 Seed testa colour (+ specify with colour chart and give colour chart number)
1 Dark brown
2 Reddish black
99 Other (use colour chart)
3.4.3 Seed testa texture
1 Soft / Smooth
2 Coarse / Rough
3.4.4 Testa hardness (scarify several seeds with knife and finger, press with probe / penetrometer to quantify pressure
needed to break testa)
1 Soft
2 Intermediate
3 Hard
4 Very hard
3.4.5 Colour of endosperm (scarify seeds to reveal endosperm) + specify with colour chart and give colour chart
number)
1 White
2 Grey
99 Other
1 2 3

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Quantitative characterisation of fruits, fibre, pulp and seeds
Farm Code: Collecting date:
Fruit # 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Fruit Length (cm)
Diameter 1
(longitudinal section
at the centre of the
fruit) (cm)
Diameter 2 (at 90°
at the centre of the
fruit) (cm)
Weight (g)
Length of fruit stalk
(only if it is at full
length) (cm)
Pulp &
Seeds
Total weight per
fruit (g)
Pulp Total weight per
fruit (g)
Seeds No. of seeds
Total weight (g)
Fibres Weight (g)
Shell Thickness (at the
centre of fruit)
(mm)
Weight (g)
Notes

12. Page | 12
Seed traits
Randomly pick 10 healthy seeds from all fruits of one tree.
Fruit No. / Code: Farm Code: Collecting date:
Seed # 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Length (mm)
Width (mm)
Thickness (mm)
Weight (g)
Proportion of endosperm to
whole seed (%)
1 < 25%
2 26 – 50%
3 51 – 75%
4 >80%