Shrubs

There are Sahelian-type tree or shrub steppes found north of latitude 14° N where annual rainfall is under 600 mm and the dry season lasts eight to ten months. The vegetation may be very scattered, gathered in clumps or forming thickets in more or less parallel strips alternating with bare spaces (making "striped thickets"). The principal species are Acacia senegalensis, A. nilotica var. tomentosa (forming wooded belts around permanent or semi-permanent ponds), A. raddiana, Balanites aegyptiaca, Bauhinia rufescens, Boscia angustifolia, Commiphora africana, Combretum glutinosum, Maerua crassifolia, Pterocarpus lucens and Zizyphus mauritania.

The baobab (Adansonia digitata) that grows throughout Burkina Faso is found especially in the Sahelian zone, sometimes forming large stands.

last updated: Tuesday, January 13, 2004