A Review of Chromosome Numbers in Bombacaceae with New Counts for Adansonia

New chromosome counts are reported for all eight species of Adansonia. The six Malagasy species and the Australian species have 2n = 88, whereas the single African species, A. digitata, has 2n = 160. We review published counts for the family as a whole and conclude that there have been many inaccurate counts but that 2n = 86-92 appears to be general. A. digitata, Rhodognaphalon brevicuspe and Eriotheca pubescens are inferred to be polyploids. The tribe Durioneae, with counts of 2n = 28 and 2n = 56, is distant from the remainder of the family, as also suggested by morphological, biogeographic and molecular data.