African Wildlife & Environment Issue 78

FAUNA, FLORA & WILDLIFE

Knowing with absolute certainty the scientific name for a species allows one to gather MUCH more detailed information about it – locally, regionally and globally. Thus being 100% certain of a tree's identity opens up the world! Open up your world by FINDING TREES

We are blessed in South Africa with a great diversity of flora, in many Biomes – from near-desert in the far northwest to almost Tropical Forest at Ngoye (inland of Mtunzini), from the unique Sand Forest in Maputaland to the Greater Cape Floristic Region in the southwest. We are also the succulent capital of the world with an astonishing array of dwarf and shrubby plants in the Succulent Karoo - as well as massive tree succulents such at Aloidendron barberae in the far northeast; growing to over 20 m in height. Depending on what you consider to be a tree, we have at least 1,000 species, and if you include large shrubs and woody climbers (lianas) this number can almost double. It is therefore not surprising that we have a plethora of books about trees going back to the early 1900s. Also unsurprising is that our books

Eugene Moll

Another genus where there are giant succulents is this Euphorbia ingens , the Tree candelabra, that are essentially bushveld species that can only grow in frost free areas since the young plants are frost sensitive

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