Of all the continents, Africa is known as the driest among the seven. Located in the half border of the Mediterranean Sea, and stretches on the south of the equator, it is no wonder why Africa is also considered the hottest among the seven continents.
Africa, being a tropical continent with sixty percent of deserts and drylands, and also the home of the largest hot desert in the world –the Sahara Desert that covers thirty-one percent of the African continent. It is quite surprising that Africa holds rank number four, with 624 million hectares of forest cover.
Despite being on a tropical location, trees in the African forest make a question of how such delicate creation survives in such a condition.
Let’s take a look at some of the most common trees in South Africa and how they adapt in the African climate:
1. Acacia Totillis
Acacia Totillis, commonly known as Umbrella Thorn, is a susceptible termite tree, with greyish black bark and willowy trunk. It is called “Umbrella Thorn” because of its notable umbrella-shaped tops. Although it is a small and slender tree, it grows about up to twenty meters high. It is one of the seven hundred species of acacia trees that grow in southern Africa. This type of tree grows in rocky areas and sand dunes. Umbrella Thorns are recorded to survive the heat of fifty degrees Celcius and can withstand a freezing temperature of about minus eighteen degrees Celcius. Most of the Acacia family trees like Umbrella Thorn have their taproots deeply rooted below the ground as their way of adaptation to survive the droughts.
2. AdansoniaDigitata
Adansonia digitata is known as Baobab or “the tree of life.” It is one of the South African trees that grow up to twenty-five meters high. It is called the “The Tree of Life” because of its traditional value as the source of food, water, and shelter topped with superstition and legends. Baobabs commonly resemble and called an upside-down tree, given its appearance wherein its branches spread out like roots. It is a tree with greyish brown bark and a bottle-shaped trunk. Baobabs store water on its trunk and thick barks in order not to dry and be fire-resistant. This tree also has a deep taproot that serves as their way to survive in a dry climate.
3. EucleaBseudebenus
Euclea pseudebenus or Ebony Tree (or also known as “True Tree”) is a tree that usually grows up to approximately 10 feet. This tree has a dense and dark heartwood, which varies from black to dark brown, and is commonly found in Africa. It has lean branches covered in narrow, drooping tree leaves. Ebony Tree usually grows in semi-desert or stony areas. It is known as a desert tree that can survive in a desert condition and both winter and summer conditions.
4. FaureaSaligna
Faurea saligna or Beech Wood is a tree that grows up to seven to ten meters high, with long, narrow, and spirally arranged leaves. It has a bell-shaped flower that is usually in cream or greenish-yellow in color. This type of tree grows in a sandy kind of soil, and on rocky ridge places. Although it is sensitive to cold climates, it can survive in an area with mild winter. Beech Wood is also known in its tolerance to rainfall, with about 508 mm per year, and could live unto low to medium altitude.
5. Aloe Angelica
Aloe Angelica is a large rare, single-stemmed tree that can be found in the Northern Province in South Africa. It grows about up to four meters high. Aloe Angelica is notable for its broad succulent leaves with small sharp teeth and droops below its upper trunk. It has tubular flowers –usually in red but turns yellow as it aged, that grows above the topmost part of the trunk.
These are only some of the hundred more types of endemic trees that find their way of adapting to the climate of the wild safari.
If you are an explorer, a nature lover tied in the beauty of the natural world, or simply a tree enthusiast, below are more of the common trees that can be found in the tropical beauty of South Africa
BOTSWANA BIRDS | NAMIBIA BIRDS | SOUTH AFRICA BIRDS | ZIMBABWE BIRDS | ZAMBIA BIRDS
COMMON MAMMALS | SOUTHERN AFRICA BIRDS | WILDLIFE PARKS | HOME
SCIENTIFIC NAME | COMMON NAME |
Acacia albida | Ana tree |
Acacia caffra | Common hook thorn |
Acacia Cyclops | #Red eye |
Acacia dealbata | #Silver wattle |
Acacia erioloba | Camel thorn |
Acacia haematoxylon | Grey camel thorn |
Acacia hebeclada | Candle acacia |
Acacia karroo | Sweet thorn |
Acacia longifolia | #Long leaved acacia |
Acacia mearnsii | # Black wattle |
Acacia nigrescens | Knob thorn |
Acacia robusta | Splendid acacia |
Acacia saligna | # Port Jackson willow |
Acacia sieberana | Paperbark acacia |
Acacia totillis | Umbrella thorn |
Acacia xanthophloea | Fever tree |
Adansonia digitata | Baobab |
Afzelia quanzensis | Pod mahogany |
Albizia adianthifolia | Flat crown |
Albizia anthelmintica | Worm cure albizia |
Aloe angelica | |
Aloe arbrescens | Krantz aloe |
Aloe bainesii | Tree aloe |
Aloe candelabrum | |
Aloe dichotoma | Quiver tree |
Aloe ferox | Bitter aloe |
Aloe marlothii | Flat-flowered aloe |
Aloe pillansii | |
Aloe pluridens | French aloe |
Aloe rupestris | |
Aloe spectabilis | |
Barringtonia racemosa | Powder-puff tree |
Bauhinia galpinii | Pride-of-De Kaap |
Bequaertiodendronmegalismontanum | Transvaal milkplum |
Bequaertiodendron natalense | |
Bolusanthus speciosus | Tree wistaria |
Borassus aethiopum | |
Boscia albitrunca | Shepherd’s tree |
Boscia foetida | Smelly shepherd’s tree |
Brachylaena discolor | Wild silver oak |
Brachylaena rotunda | Mountain silver oak |
Brachystegia boehmii | Mufuti |
Brachystegia spiciformis | Msasa |
Breonadia salicina | Matumi |
Bridelia micrantha | Mitzeerie |
Buddleja saligna | False olive |
Buddleja salviifolia | Sagewood |
Calpurnia aurea | Wild laburnum |
Calpurnia robinioides | |
Celtis africana | White stinkwood |
Clausena anisata | Horsewood |
Colophospermum mopane | Mopane |
Combretum apiculatum | Red bushwillow |
Combretum erthrophyllum | River bushwillow |
Combretum hereroense | Russet bushwillow |
Combretum imberbe | Leadwood |
Combretum molle | Velvet bushwillow |
Combretum zeyheri | Large-fruited bushwillow |
Commiphora africana | Poison-grub commiphora |
Commiphora glaucescens | Bronze paper commiphora |
Commiphora harveyi | Blue-leaved commiphora |
Commiphora neglecta | Sweet-root commiphora |
Commiphora pyracanthoides | Common commiphora |
Cunonia capensis | Red alder |
Cussonia spicata | Cabbage tree |
Cyphostemma bainesii | Gouty vine |
Cyphostemma currorii | Cobas |
Cyphostemma juttae | Bastard cobas |
Dichrostachys cinerea | Sickle bush |
Diospyros mespiliformis | Jackal-berry |
Diplorhynchus condylocarpon | Horn-pod tree |
Dombeya rotundifolia | Wild pear |
Erythrina caffra | Coast erythrina |
Erythrina lysistemon | Common coral tree |
Euclea divinorum | Magic guarri |
Euclea pseudebenus | Ebony tree |
Euphorbia cooperi | Lesser candelabra tree |
Euphorbia grandidens | Large-toothed euphorbia |
Euphorbia ingens | Candelabra tree |
Euphorbia tetragona | |
Euphorbia tirucalli | Honey euphorbia |
Euphorbia triangularis | River euphorbia |
Faurea galphinii | |
Faurea saligna | Beechwood |
SCIENTIFIC NAME | COMMON NAME |
Faurea speciosa | |
Ficus abutilifolia | Large-leaved rock fig |
Ficus cordata | Namaqua fig |
Ficus ilicina | Laurel fig |
Ficus ingens | Red-leaved rock fig |
Ficus lutea | Giant-leaved fig |
Ficus natalensis | Common wild fig |
Ficus salicifolia | Wonderboom fig |
Ficus stuhlmannii | Lowveld fig |
Ficus sur | Cape fig |
Ficus sycomorus | |
Greyia flanaganii | |
Greyia radkoferi | |
Greyia sutherlandii | Natal bottlebrush |
Halleria lucida | Tree-fuchsia |
Heeria argentea | Rockwood |
Hibiscus tiliaceus | Coast hibiscus |
Hyphaene coriacea | Ilala palm |
Hyphaene petersiana | |
Jacaranda mimosifolia | #Jacaranda |
Jubaeopsis caffra | |
Kigelia africana | Sausage tree |
Kirkia wilmsii | Mountain syringa |
Leucodendron argentum | Silver-leaf protea |
Leucosidea sericea | Oldwood |
Leucospermumconocarpodendron | Tree pincushion |
Lonchocarpus capassa | Apple-leaf |
Maytenus heterophylla | Common spike-thorn |
Maytenus senegalensis | Confetti tree |
Melia azedarach | #Syringa |
Mimusops caffra | Coast red-milkwood |
Mimusops obovata | |
Mimusops zeyheri | Transvaal red-milkwood |
Olea europaea | Wild olive |
Olinia emarginata | Mountain olinia |
Ozoroa paniculosa | Common resin tree |
Pachypodium lealii | Bottle tree |
Pachypodium namaquanum | Elephant’s trunk |
Peltophorum africanum | Weeping wattle |
Phoenix reclinata | Wild date palm |
Pinus canariensis | # |
Pinus halepensis | #Aleppo pine |
Pinus patula | #Patula pine |
Pinus pinaster | #Cluster pine |
Pinus radiata | # |
Podocarpus elongatus | |
Podocarpus falcatus | Outeniqua yellowwood |
Podocarpus henkelii | |
Podocarpus latifolius | Real yellowwood |
Populus canescens | #Grey poplar |
Prosopis glandulosa | Mesquite |
Protea caffra | Highveld protea |
Protea laurifolia | Laurel protea |
Protea nitida | Wagon tree |
Protea repens | Sugarbush |
Protea roupelliae | Silver protea |
Pterocarpus angolensis | Transvaal teak |
Rauvolfia caffra | Quinine tree |
Rhus lancea | Karree |
Rhus undulata | Kuni-bush |
Salix babylonica | #Weeping willow |
Salvadora angustifolia | |
Salvadora persica | Mustard tree |
Schotia brachpetala | Weeping boer-bean |
Sclerocarya birrea | Maroela |
Sideroxylon inerme | White milkwood |
Solanum mauritianum | #Bug tree |
Spirostachys africana | Tamboti |
Strelitzia alba | |
Stralitzia caudata | |
Stralitzia nicolai | Natal strelitzia |
Stychnos madagascariensis | Black monkey orange |
Stychnos spinosa | Spiny monkey orange |
Syzygium cordatum | Umdoni |
Syzygium guineense | woodland waterberry |
Terminalia pruniodes | Purple-pod terminalia |
Terminalia sericea | Silver terminalia |
Trema orientalis | Pigeonwood |
Trichilia dregeana | Forest Natal mahongany |
Virgilia divaricata | Blossom tree1 |
Virgilia oroboides | Blossom tree2 |
Zanthoxylum capense | Small knobwood |
Zanthoxylum davyi | |
Ziziphus mucronata | Buffalo-thorn |
VEGETATION ZONES
Desert | Arid Zone | Savannah Woodland | Savannah Grassland | Fynbos | Indigenous Forests | Swampland