Trees of Zambia (Pocket Guide), by Adam Pope and Clare Barkworth

Trees of Zambia (Pocket Guide), by Adam Pope and Clare Barkworth. Publisher: Penguin Random House South Africa. Imprint: Struik Nature. Cape Town, South Africa 2023. ISBN 9781775843610 / ISBN 978-1-77-584845-5

Trees of Zambia (Pocket Guide), by Adam Pope and Clare Barkworth. There are 11 major vegetation types in Zambia, reflecting the geological and ecological transitions across the country.

VEGETATION TYPES AND TREE DISTRIBUTION

The most extensive types are dry evergreen forest, Miombo and Munga woodland, and dry Baikiaea forest. Others are more localised and some are patchy and too small to show on the vegetation map below. The distribution of vegetation types reflects annual rainfall, ranging from around 1,500mm in the north to 600mm in the south and the west, and in low-altitude valleys. Vegetation is also influenced by the geological and soil conditions in a region. Soils on the weathered plateau in the north and centre are acidic, while those associated with Zambia's major river systems are fertile alluvial soils. The southwest is covered in deep Kalahari Sand. Each vegetation type comprises a variety of tree and other plant species.

Major vegetation types of Zambia:

1 Dry evergreen Marquesia-Parinan forest
2 Dry evergreen Cryptosepalum forest
3 Montane forest
4 Dry deciduous Itigi forest
5 Dry deciduous Baikiaea forest
6 Miombo woodland
7 Kalahari woodland
8 Munga woodland (savanna)
9 Zambezian and Mopane woodlands
10 Western Kalahari grassland
11 Floodplain grassland
Lakes
Major rivers

Forest
1 Dry evergreen Marquesia-Parinari forest:
Dominated by high-canopy, buttressed forms of Marquesia and Parinari, this forest is confined to northern and western Zambia's high-rainfall area (receiving over 1,100mm per year). It has three layers: a closed canopy reaching about 25m, a patchy middle storey of 10-15m, and shrubs, scramblers and herbs at ground level, with much open ground.

2 Dry evergreen Cryptosepalum forest:
Occurring in the western Kalahari basin, this forest comprises three storeys: Cryptosepalum and Baikiaea species in the canopy, a thicket-shrub storey locally called 'mavunda', and an extensive mossy and herb ground cover.

3 Wet forest and montane forest:
Three types of wet forest are confined to high-altitude, high-rainfall areas in the northeast, north and northwest of Zambia: montane, swamp and riparian. Occurring only on the northeastern Nyika Plateau and the Mafinga Mountains, montane forest comprises three storeys, with the canopy dominated by Pouteria, Podocarpus and Parinari species.
Swamp and riparian wet forests: These forests occupy localised areas along major rivers and streams, mainly in the wetter northern region. (Distributions too small to show on the map.)

4 Dry deciduous Itigi forest: Confined to the northern depression between Lake Mweru-wa-Ntipa and Lake Tanganyika, Itigi is a deciduous two-storey forest with a low canopy dominated by Baphia, Boscia, Bussea and Diospyros species and Euphorbia candelabrum. The understorey comprises diverse thicket with little grass.

5 Dry deciduous Baikiaea forest: Found on well-drained Kalahari Sand in western and southwestern Zambia, Baikiaea forest has two storeys. The canopy is dominated by the extremely fire-sensitive and heavily logged red hardwoods, Baikiaea plurijuga and Pterocarpus antunesii. The understorey comprises deciduous scrambling shrubs and herbs supplemented during the rainy months by a proliferation of herbs and grasses.

Woodland

Chipya woodland: This occurs in patches next to dry evergreen forest around the Bangweulu basin. Considered to be a form of dry evergreen forest that has been degraded by fire, this wooded grassland comprises three storeys: a diverse evergreen and deciduous canopy at about 20m, a shrub storey and understoreys, and prolific ground flora of herbs and tall grasses. Chipya includes species of Parinari, Erythrophleum, Ficus, Afzelia, Acacia, Albizia and Terminalia. (Distributions too small to show on the map.)[...]

This is an excerpt from Trees of Zambia (Pocket Guide), by Adam Pope and Clare Barkworth.

Title: Trees of Zambia
Series: Pocket Guide
Author: Adam Pope; Clare Barkworth
Publisher: Penguin Random House South Africa
Imprint: Struik Nature
Cape Town, South Africa 2023
ISBN 9781775848455 / ISBN 978-1-77-584845-5
Softcover, 11 x 18 cm, 160 pages, throughout colour photographs and distribution maps