Plant Common Name Scientific Name Description of Plant Picture of Plant

Plant common name Description of Plant Picture of Plant Scientific name Strangler Fig The Strangler Fig begins life as a small vine-like plant Ficus thonningii that climbs the nearest large tree and then thickens, produces a branching set of buttressing aerial roots, and strangles its host tree. An easy way to tell the difference between Strangle Figs and other common figs is that the bottom half of the Strangler is gnarled and twisted where it used to be attached to its host, the upper half smooth. A common tree on kopjes and along rivers in Serengeti; two massive Fig trees near Serengeti; the "Tree Where Man was Born" in southern Loliondo, and the "Ancestor Tree" near Endulin, in Ngorongoro are significant for the local Maasai peoples. Wild Date Palm Palms are monocotyledons, the veins in their leaves Phoenix reclinata are parallel and unbranched, and are thus relatives of grasses, lilies, bananas and orchids. The wild Date Palm is the most common of the native palm trees, occurring along rivers and in swamps. The fruits are edible, though horrible tasting, while the thick, sugary sap is made into Palm wine. The tree offers a pleasant, softly rustling, fragrant-smelling shade; the sort of shade you will need to rest in if you try the wine. Candelabra The Candelabra tree is a common tree in the western Euphorbia and Northern parts of Serengeti. Like all Euphorbias, Euphorbia the Candelabra breaks easily and is full of white, candelabrum extremely toxic latex. One drop of this latex can blind or burn the skin. Traditional people plant the tree as cattle fencing, as predators will not attempt to push their way through the dense and poisonous stems. Some circles of Candelabra can be seen in the park, where seasonal dwellings existed before the establishment of the park. Commiphora Commiphoras can easily be distinguished from Acacia Commiphora africana tree species by the Commiphora's peeling, papery blue/yellow bark. These trees occur throughout Serengeti, and are the dominant species in the eastern part of the park. Local medicine makes use of the bark, roots, and berries for a variety of treatments, including stomach complaints, liver problems, colic children, and rashes. While there are several species of Commiphora in Serengeti, Commiphora africana is the most common. Sausage tree This large tree is spread sparsely throughout Serengeti. Kigelia africana It produces characteristic long (1 m), succulent, poisonous fruits that drop from the tree and release seeds as the pulp rots. The vine-like fruit stalks can be seen for months after the fruits are dropped. There is a dry bush joke that the worst place to camp is under a Sausage tree… if the 5 kg fruits don't crush you, then the elephants will as they come to collect the fruits. There is a widespread local belief that Sausage tree fruits, when hung in your hut, will ward-off whirlwinds. Red Grass Turning a dark reddish color as it dries, Themeda is one Themeda triandra of the main grass species in the long-grass plains and woodlands of Serengeti. This grass normally grows as a dense bunch, though on the long-grass plains it can become the dominant grass and grows widely spaced like a field of wheat. Wildebeest eat Red grass, though it is consumed generally after more palatable grass species are exhausted. Pan Dropseed This Sporobolus species is one of the two dominant Sporobolus ioclados species on the short grass plains along with Digitaria macroblephora. Both species grow in a dwarf form which can be difficult to recognize. The hard pan layer in the soil prevents grasses from growing deep roots, and very high levels of herbivory during the wet season combine to produce these smaller grass forms. The El-Nino Flower During the last El-nino rains, this plant grew in Hibiscus cannabinus abundance throughout Serengeti, thus acquiring the local name of "El-Nino" flower. An annual, it grows most years along rivers or in wet-season boggy areas throughout East Africa. Watch out if you are taking a picture of hibiscus flowers; most of the species in the genus have poisonous hairs that break off in your skin and cause irritation and lots of grumbling. Elephant grass A species of perennial tropical grass native to the Pennisetum African grasslands. It has low water and nutrient purpureum requirements, and therefore can make use of otherwise uncultivated lands. Historically, this wild species has been used primarily for grazing; recently, however, it has been incorporated into a pest management strategy. This technique involves the desired crop being planted alongside a 'push' plant, which repels pests, in combination with a 'pull' crop around the perimeter of the plot, which draw insects out of the plot. Baobab All Baobabs are deciduous trees ranging in height Adansonia gregorii from 5 to 20 meters. The Baobab tree is a strange looking tree that grows in low-lying areas in Africa and Australia. It can grow to enormous sizes and carbon dating indicates that they may live to be 3,000 years old. One ancient hollow Baobab tree in Zimbabwe is so large that up to 40 people can shelter inside its trunk. The trunk is smooth and shiny, not at all like the bark of other trees, and it is pinkish grey or sometimes copper colored. When bare of leaves, the spreading branches look like roots sticking up into the air, as if it had been planted upside-down. Baobabs are very difficult to kill; they can be burnt, or stripped of their bark, and form new bark and continue growing. When they do die, they simply rot from the inside and collapse, leaving a heap of fibers. An old Baobab tree can create its own ecosystem, as it supports the life of countless creatures. Devils Thorn Small annual herb with trailing stems. Leaves are Dicerocaryum opposite and toothed; flowers are pink-mauve in zanguebarium colour and trumpet-shaped. Dune Slack Rush Dominates saltmarshes where salinities are low; Juncus kraussii often extends into dune slacks bordering saltmarshes. One of several species of sedges that border estuaries. Long, sharply-pointed stems with thin, pointed leaves. Flaming Lily A climbing herb with glossy leaves which have twining Gloriosa superba tips which coil onto nearby bushes, in this way the plant can use other plants as a support. The plant grows from an underground tuber, which is able to survive the dry season. The creeping stems, however, die off completely after fruiting. The flowers have flame-like petals and outstretched stamens. The petals are crisped along the margins and curled backwards to form rounded cage-like flowers. The colour of the flowers range from yellowish green to bright red with yellow margins. The Flame Lily grows up to a height of 1 m. Gazania This particular plant grows flat against the surface of Gazania krebsiana the ground and almost looks like a small spot of sunshine in the veld. It grows up to a height of about 100 mm. Leaves are 50 mm in length and are dark- green on the top and felt-white below. The magnificent flowerheads are 50 mm wide with bright yellow (sometimes white) ray florets. The flowering time is from July to September. Glasswort Samphire A sprawling perennial succulent. Stems jointed; no Sarcocornia perennis obvious leaves. Flowers tiny, arranged in threes at stem nodes. Size: 30 mm tall. Related Species: Sarcocornia littorea (Namaqualand - Agulhas) is up to 1 m tall, has a thick woody stem, and grows on rocky shores above the high-tide mark. Sarcocornia pillansii (whole coast) forms shrubs at the upper levels of saltmarshes. Stems thick, flat; each joint ends in a gondola-like tip. Salicornia meyeriana (Namaqualand- Durban) is an annual and thus has a very short tap- root; forms low bushes with slender, woody branches in the upper zones of estuarine marshes. Flowers arranged in threes. Golden Cleome Delicate, open-branched herb with thin compound Cleome angustifolia leaves. The yellow flowers have purple bases and distinctive protruding stamens. The Golden Cleome is quite common along roadsides and grows in the Northern Province and the Kruger National Park. Krantz Aloe A multi-stemmed aloe with thick, yellow-green Aloe arborescens leaves. The leaves are usually sharply toothed on the margins and are very juicy with a yellowish, slimy sap. The sap has been used to treat stomach ailments for many centuries. The leaves also store water to enable the plant to survive drought. One to four dense spikes of coral red flowers appear from May to July. The flowers are carried on stout stems and are more or less tubular in shape. Most aloes are important food plants for sunbirds which visit the flowers in search of nectar and in the process pollinate them. Finger Grass Is commonly known as digitgrass or Pangola-grass, is a Digitara eriantha grass grown in tropical and subtropical climates. It grows relatively well in various soils, but grows especially well in moist soils. It is tolerant to droughts, water lodging, suppresses weeds and grows relatively quickly post grazing. Sawtooth lovegrass Is a species of perennial tufted grass in the Poaceae Erigrostis superba family. It is a palatable forage species but occurs at low densities. It occurs from Sudan to South Africa, and flowers during the rainy season. The large, flat and oval-shaped spikelets are carried in long panicles. Heart seed lovegrass Is a hardy, densely tufted, perennial grass with blue- Erigrostis carpensis green, slender leaves of which the bases are usually purple. A beautiful addition to a grassland garden. ... The flower spikes are erect with plump, golden, heart- shaped spikelets.

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