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Vegetation Zones
With Kruger being so vast it naturally has a tremendous botanic diversity. Simplistically the park can be divided into 16 macro ecozones. The northern half of the park, north of the Olifants River is predominantly mopane veld, while south of the Olifants the ecozones are thornveld. There are 336 tree species in the park. Of these the following are some of the more prevalent or striking species:
Baobab Red Bushwillow Common Cluster Fig Common Coral Tree Delagoa Thorn Fever Tree Lowveld Fig Jackalberry Knob Thorn Leadwood Natal Mahogany Marula Monkey Orange Mopane Transvaal Mustard Tree Lala Palm Raisin Bush Sausage Tree Tamboti Round-leafed Teak
The smaller flowering plants
I have always wondered why the smaller forms of wildlife are so constantly neglected or overlooked. Everyone knows what the elephant and the baobab are, and everyone wants to see them. But ask about the Buprestid beetle and the gloriosa lily; few will know of their exquisite beauty, yet they have a story to tell - of their lives and how they fit into the general scheme of things. Perhaps it is because we have an inherent concern for the power and size of living organisms, that the elephant and baobab top the list of viewing priorities for many visitors.
The Park nevertheless contains a multitude of highly attractive flowering herbs and shrubs, many openly exposed to view, others nestled in the concealing depths of shady forests, or snugly hidden between rocks or below overlying shrubby vegetation. They are there, abundantly so, we just have to look for them.
Strikingly beautiful when in full bloom during summer, the gloriosa or flame lily (Gloriosa virescens) is widely distributed in the northern regions. It often grows out in the open but seems to prefer slightly shaded environments. Using tree stems or shrubs as support, it clambers to just over a meter in height, clinging to its host with slender tendrils which curl out from the leaf tips. As a plant it is attractive, but when in flower this species stands out as royalty against its less-endowed herbaceous competitors. Each flower has six elongate and well-separated petals which twist backwards and inwards, brilliantly exposing the rich colours, almost as flames leaping from a central core. The colour varies from plant to plant; in some it is orange, others yellow, yet others again, a combination of the two or a bright red fringed with yellow.
Scattered throughout the Park is the bulbous lily, generally known as the Sabie crinum (Crinum macowanii). As with many other lilies, a number of fairly long leaves sprout from the underground bulb and spread themselves open just after emerging from the soil. Like a periscope searching for signs of life there sprouts during spring, from the midst of these leaves, a stalk which erupts into a seductive spray of flowers in virginal shades of pink and white. Truly a beautiful sight, these flowers appear on flat patches of land generally after the first rains of spring.
The water-world also has its beauty to present, and here the multi- petalled Nymphaea species with their large and sedately floating leaves have no rivals. Flowering in summer, these very attractive water lilies can be found in the quiet pools of many rivers and streams. The flowers vary from snow-white to pale blue, opening by day to play host to a number of insect visitors calling for a gift of nectar and pollen, then gently closing again for a night's rest.
Back on land, there are many other species to please a careful ob server. More familiar to many people as a garden cultivar, the Barberton daisy (Gerbera jamesonii) grows wild on the banks of eroded dongas and ditches in the southern part of the Park. Here and there they may also be seen growing in shady places along the slopes of hills, especially in the Pretoriuskop area. Unlike their domesticated cousins which have been hybridized to flower in many different colours, these wild specimens bloom only in shades of red and yellow. They have a long flowering period, generally from mid-spring to mid summer.
Perhaps the most familiar plant to visitors because it has been so abundantly planted in many of the camps, and because it has such a typically 'bushveld' appearance, is the impala lily, Adenium obesum 'multiflorum'. These are normally seen as very thick-stemmed plants somewhat resembling a miniature baobab about a meter high, though occasionally they may reach three metres. From July to September large clusters of reddish-pink tubular flowers which end in a spray of white petals delicately bordered with brilliant red, embellish the stumpy branches. An exquisite bloom for a plant so essentially drab and which prefers to grow un admired in the sun-drenched harshness of the bushveld world.
Of similar general appearance, but with a preference for the south- impart, is the impala lily's sister species the Sabie star (Adenium swazicum). It tends to be rarer than the former and flowers in summer, bearing delightful trumpet-like deep pink flowers grouped at the end of branches. These plants have also been planted in many of the rest-camps.
Among the larger or taller flowering shrubs, perhaps the most striking is Bauhinia galpinii. Many of these large shrubs with their mopane-like 'butterfly wings' can be seen growing in Pretoriuskop camp. The only area where Bauhinia appear fairly abundantly in wild conditions is around Punda Maria camp. Here, from February to April, large numbers may be seen, richly adorned with magnificent bunches of deep red flowers.
Visitors to the Pafuri area in September and October will be re warded by the sight of masses of flowering Combretum paniculatum, otherwise known as the burning bush or flame creeper. Closely related to the robust leadwood tree, this creeping species drapes its snaking branches over low trees or shrubby riverine vegetation. In conspicuous when not in flower, large numbers of these plants suddenly erupt in spring to create an almost festival atmosphere when their long rows of miniature crimson blooms cluster in elongate brushes along the sinewy branches.
Especially during spring and early summer, a myriad of smaller but highly attractive flowers is scattered throughout the Park. Most people overlook them as they gaze into the distance seeking lions and elephant. Their day would be so much more fulfilling and worthwhile if for once a conscious effort were made to notice the smaller things. From there the beauty will manifest itself and the interests grow.
