Vegetation zones
The size of the Park, and particularly its north-south length, makes inevitable a considerable range of vegetation zones. Collectively these may be termed bushveld, but a number of distinct zones can be recognized within this ‘overall’ term.
The drier northern area, stretching from the Olifants River through to the Limpopo, is predominantly mopane (Co mopane) country. The western half of this section consists of fairly tall mopane trees mixed with stands of the equally tough red bush-willow (Cornbreturn apiculaturn). East of this through to the Lebombo Mountains are vast unbroken stretches covered by short, stunted mopane trees of uniform height with few other trees to break the monotony? Further north, towards Punda Maria, the soil and rainfall changes, encouraging luxuriant stands of mopane forest. And towards Pafuri and the Limpopo the majestic baobab trees (Adansonia digitata) become increasingly abundant, towering as ageless sentinels over the surrounding vegetation.
South of the Olifants River the vegetation diversifies. Large, grassy plains with abundantly scattered knobthorn (Acacia nigrescens), marula (Sclerocarya caffra) and leadwood trees (Combretum imberbe) dominate the landscape around Satara and in the eastern strip run ning more or iess from the Olifants river and covering the camp-sites at Nwanedzi, Lower Sabie and Crocodile Bridge.
The south-western part of the Park, including Skukuza and a wide strip along the western boundary up to Orpen Gate, consists mainly of thorny thickets and fairly dense stands of red bush-willow, knob thorn, tamboti (Spirostachys africana), marula, and a wide variety of other species.
A fairly small but distinct zone is formed in the high-lying areas ar ound Pretoriuskop where silver terminalia (Terminalia sericea) and shrubby sicklebush (Dichrostachys cinerea) are dominant. Stands of tail grass separate the trees, which also include the familiar marula and a range of acacias.
Heavily wooded forests adjoin all the major rivers, with magnificent trees such as the sycamore fig (Ficus sycomorus), Natal mahogany (Trich i/ia emetica), fever trees (Acaciaxant hophloea) , and nyaia trees (Xanthocercis zambesiaca) among the largest and most beautiful.
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