Jackson et al. (1983) describe the composition of Africa's semi-arid forests as follows: "In the driest areas, Acacia tortilis ssp. raddiana dominates. As the rainfall increases, it is succeeded by other acacias, notably A. senegal and A. laeta, with A. seyal on the heavier soils; and areas of Commiphora africana and Ziziphus mauritiana. Under still higher rainfall the Combretaceae begin to dominate, with Anogeissus leiocarpa, Combretum glutinosum, C. micranthum and Guiera senegalensis.

This zone is succeeded by forest that includes Isoberlinia doka Pterocarpus erinaceus, Daniellia oliveri and Khaya senegalensis. In the wetter parts, closed stands may form. Finally, in Casamance in Senegal, species more characteristic of the tropical rain forest, such as Daniellia ogea and Erythrophleum ivorence, begin to appear. A characteristic of many areas is a forest that is strongly influenced by man's activities and in which certain species that are chiefly valued for their fruits are left after the remaining forest has been cleared for cultivation, thus leaving an open parkland. In drier areas, the main species of this 'anthropogenic' forest are Adansonia digitata (baobab) and Acacia albida. In the wetter parts of the zone, Vitellaria paradoxa (karite), Butyrospermum paradoxum, Parkia biglobosa (néré) and Tamarindus indica occur over large areas.