Zanzibar-Inhambane Calcareous Bushland and Thicket

Where unfavourable soil conditions prevent the development of forest, various types of bushland and thicket have developed. On the coral limestone in parts of Kenya, for example, a climax evergreen thicket characterized by Haplocoelum inoploem, Harrisonia abyssinica, Lannea stuhlmannii, Ludia mauritiana, Monikara sansibarensois, Millettia usaramensis, Monanthotaxis fornicata, Pycnocoma littoralis, Sterculia rhynocarpa, Uvaria leptocladen and the endemic Cussonia zimmermanii (Dichopetalaceae) and Suregada zanzibarensis (Euphorbiaceae) is one of the main types of thicket. Other endemics found in evergreen thicket, particularly coastal thicket, include the shrubs Dichapetalum aureonites (Dichapetalaceae) and Ochna beirensis (Ochnaceae) and the climber Traspis mosambica (Malpighiaceae). Also in the coastal zone, especially in the area between Nacada and Mucojo in Mozambique, a thicket largely composed of deciduous species occurs. The characteristic species include Bathia macrocalyx, Dichrostachys cinerea, Combretum pisoniiflorum, Gossypioides kirkii, Guilbourtia schliebenii, Landolphia kirkii, Mimosa busseana, Platysepalum inopinatum, Pseudoprospis euryphylla and the endemic Dialium mossambicense. It is also characterized by the presence of scattered tall trees such as Manikara altissima and the endemic Bombax rhodognapholon (Bombacaceae). Other endemics generally associated with coastal bush and thicket include the shrubs Capparis lilacina, C. orthocantha (Capparidaceae), Commiphora serrata (Burseraceae), Ochna angustata (Ochaceae), Vernonia inhacensis (Asteraceae), the herbaceous forb Diplocyclos tenuis (Cucurbitaceae) and the grass Cenchrus mitis (Poaceae).  

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