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 Baobab (Adansonia digitata)
Muuyu (Sh); Umkhomo (Nd)
Characteristics: Unmistakable huge tree with an average girth of up to 18m (there is a record specimen with a girth of 47m), growing up to 25m, with a smooth bark; it has large, white, pendulous flowers that emerge briefly in early summer; when baobabs die, they collapse into a vegetative heap and rot; the most well-known tree in the Victoria Falls area is the “Big Tree” baobab on Zambezi River Drive.
Animal associations: Many small mammals, insects, birds and reptiles live in or on baobabs because the textured bark and hollows provide suitable habitats; the trees are pollinated by fruit bats; the fruit is eaten by baboons; elephants strip and eat the bark.
Traditional or medicinal uses: Leaves may be cooked and eaten; the fruits are cracked to yield brown seeds coated with a powdery pulp that is high in tartaric acid and vitamin C and are sucked for refreshment or soaked in milk to make a wonderful drink; the bark is used to weave mats, bags and hats.
 Knob Thorn (Acacia nigrescens)
Munanga (Sh); Umkhayamhlophe (Nd)
Characteristics: Easily recognised by the very fat knobs on the trunk and branches, particularly in younger trees; in late winter and early spring, the bare tree produces an abundance of creamy, white, flower spikes which are exquisitely fragrant; the leaflets are larger than in other acacias and noticeably round.
Animal associations: Giraffe favour the leaves of the acacias because of their high protein content; elephants often strip the bark in late winter when stored nutrients are being mobilised from the roots and transported to the leaves; tree squirrels and rats enjoy the gum; honey bees are fond of the nectar from the flowers; the hemiparasitic herbs from the family Loranthaceae are commonly found growing in this tree.
Traditional or medicinal uses: The heartwood is very heavy, strong and termite-resistant and was used to make mine props, railway sleepers and well linings; the inner bark can be used to make a fairly good twine; very good firewood.
 Mopane (Colophospermum mopane)
Mupani (Sh); Iphane (Nd)
Characteristics: Distinctive, butterfly-shaped leaves that are bright green when young and turn red and yellow in winter before dropping; bark has pronounced longitudinal fissures; depending on soil conditions and climate, it may remain a small shrub or reach heights of 25m; forms dense, single species stands; it is the dominant tree in the basalts around Victoria Falls.
Animal associations: Many animals are associated with the mopane, particularly elephants, which feed on the leaves, bark and roots; tree squirrels live in hollow specimans; the localised Arnot’s chat lives mainly in mopane forests; the larval stage of the moth Gonimbrasia belina (known as the mopane worm) feeds on the leaves of this tree; the insect Arytaina mopane feeds on the leaves and is, in turn, targeted by many mammals and birds; cicadas are closely associated with the mopane tree.
Traditional or medicinal uses: Used to treat diarrhoea in cattle and syphilis in humans; stubborn wounds may be treated with the gum; used extensively for building huts and fencing because it is termite-resistant; makes an excellent firewood that produces long-lasting coals and an aromatic smoke.
 Large False Mopane (Guibourtia coleosperma)
Mungenge (Sh) Muchiva; Umtshibi (Nd)
Characteristics: Majestic evergreen tree with contrasting black and creamy pink bark – the black having the appearance of fire damage; occurs in dry forest on Kalahari sands; leaves are dark glossy green and have two leaflets resembling the symmetrical wings of a butterfly; the fruit is a dark woody pod, which splits to expose a hanging seed covered in bright scarlet flesh. Animal associations: Birds eat the bright red pulp around the seed.
Traditional or medicinal uses: The beautiful pinkish-brown colour makes it a sought-after carving wood; it is used particularly in the carvings of hippos found at the Victoria Falls craft village; the scarlet flesh surrounding the seeds is removed in warm water and either eaten or made into a nourishing drink while the seeds themselves are roasted, pounded and then eaten as a porridge.
 Silver Terminalia or Silver Cluster-Leaf
(Terminalia sericea)
Mususu (Sh); Umangwe (Nd)
Characteristics: Normally a medium-sized, upright tree with deeply fissured bark that grows in deep, sandy soils; it has unique silvery-blue leaves and, when in fruit, it bears conspicuous, pinkish, single-winged seeds.
Animal associations: Although not very nutritious, the leaves are browsed; the twigs are eaten by giraffe and elephants – where there are high populations of these, the trees are extensively damaged during feeding; the galls on the twigs are caused by a gall midge larva – the gall protects the developing larva and it eventually emerges as an adult through an aperture at the base of the gall.
Traditional or medicinal uses: The straight and elastic young branches are used to make snares; because the wood is termite-resistant it is often used for fencing poles; the bark is used in tanning leather and the inner bark makes a good twine; the roots are used to make an eye-wash and are also used in the treatment of pneumonia; a decoction from the tree is also considered an effective treatment for diarrhoea; it is a controversial bilharzia cure whereby the roots are mixed with the entrails of a blister beetle to treat the patient, but healers acknowledge that the side effects are often bad; the leaves provide a blue dye while the leaf hairs are used to glaze pottery; a stick from this tree is often stuck in the floor of a shrine to facilitate communication with the ancestral spirits.
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