Broadleaved

These are essentially Sudanian-type forests composed of open forest and savannah woodland and tree and shrub savannah. The open forest contains a high proportion of small or medium-sized trees, sometimes with touching crowns. Such vegetation is now found only in small strips near villages or in some reserved forests that have enjoyed sufficient protection. Anogeissus leiocarpus is the dominant species in much of the open forest, but Pterocarpus erinaceus, Burkea africana, Afzelia africana and Albizia chevalieri are also found ­ and, especially in the southern part of the Sudanian zone, Isoberlinia doka and Detarium microcarpum.

The savannah may be of the wooded, tree or shrub type, depending on the degree of degradation of the primary forest. Several species from former primary forest are found here, in association with various species from northern regions (Acacia spp. and Zizyphus mauritania). Sterculia setigera, Bombax costatum, Prosopis africana, Boswellia dalzielli, Lannea microcarpa, L. acida, Cassia sieberiana and Sclerocarya birrea occur frequently. In extreme cases, Combretaceae and Caesalpiniaceae are predominant.

Alongside these main forests there are others conditioned by the nature of the soil ­ ironstone hillocks (covered with Combretum micranthum), vertisols (stands of Acacia seyal), periodically flooded areas (Mitragyna inermis, Nauclea latifolia and Acacia caffra var. campylacantha) or areas alongside watercourses (covered with Pterocarpus santaniloïdes, Crataeva adansonii and Cola laurifolia).

last updated: Wednesday, October 6, 2004