The baobab trees (genus Adansonia) have attracted tremendous attention because of their striking shape and distinctive relationships with fauna¹. These spectacular trees have also influenced human culture, inspiring innumerable arts, folklore and traditions. Here we sequenced genomes of all eight extant baobab species and argue that Madagascar should be considered the centre of origin for the extant lineages, a key issue in their evolutionary history^2,3. Integrated genomic and ecological analyses revealed the reticulate evolution of baobabs, which eventually led to the species diversity seen today. Past population dynamics of Malagasy baobabs may have been influenced by both interspecific competition and the geological history of the island, especially changes in local sea levels. We propose that further attention should be paid to the conservation status of Malagasy baobabs, especially of Adansonia suarezensis and Adansonia grandidieri, and that intensive monitoring of populations of Adansonia za is required, given its propensity for negatively impacting the critically endangered Adansonia perrieri.

猴面包树（Adansonia属）因其引人注目的形状和与动物群的独特关系而引起了极大的关注¹。这些壮观的树木也影响了人类文化，激发了无数的艺术、民俗和传统。在这里，我们对所有八个现存猴面包树物种的基因组进行了测序，并认为马达加斯加应被视为现存谱系的起源中心，这是其进化史中的一个关键问题^2,3。综合基因组和生态分析揭示了猴面包树的网状进化，最终导致了今天看到的物种多样性。马达加斯加猴面包树过去的种群动态可能受到种间竞争和该岛地质历史，特别是当地海平面变化的影响。我们建议应进一步关注马达加斯加猴面包树的保护状况，特别是Adansonia suarezensis和Adansonia grandidieri，并且需要对Adansonia za种群进行密集监测，因为它容易对极度濒危的Adansonia perrieri产生负面影响。