🇧🇼 The flowers of Botswana
10 pages from Botswana: its flowers, the things made with them and the places to see them, across 1 city or region.
Botswana’s plant life is shaped by its dry climate and vast savannas, with over 2,500 plant species and more than 650 types of trees. The country is known for its ancient baobabs, marula trees, and the rich diversity of flowers and woody plants that thrive in the Okavango Delta’s wetlands and the Kalahari’s arid sands.
- Baobab trees can live over 2,000 years.
- Botswana has more than 2,500 plant species.
- Forests are mainly in the far north and Okavango Delta.
- Marula trees produce vitamin-rich fruit.
- Savanna covers about 90% of the country.
The plant life of Botswana
Botswana’s landscape is mostly savanna, ranging from dry shrublands in the southwest to tree-dotted grasslands in wetter areas. The Kalahari Desert covers most of the country, but even here, many flowering plants and trees survive. Forests are limited, found mainly along the Chobe River in the north and in the Okavango Delta, where water supports denser vegetation. The flora is diverse, with over 2,500 plant species and 650 tree species, adapted to low rainfall and varying soils. Woody plants and grasses dominate, with seasonal changes in their growth and nutritional value.
From region to region in Botswana
Plant life changes across Botswana’s regions. The Kalahari’s sandveld is home to hardy grasses and shrubs, while the hardveld supports more woody plants and trees. The Okavango Delta stands out with its lush swamps, supporting palms, figs, and papyrus. Forests are rare and mostly found in the far north, while shrubland dominates the drier south and west. Each region’s vegetation reflects its rainfall and soil.
Flowers to know in Botswana
The baobab, called mowana in Setswana, is a symbol of Botswana and can live for over 2,000 years, producing large white flowers in spring. The marula tree, found in bushveld and woodlands, bears pinkish and red-purple flowers and yellow fruit. Other well-known trees include mopane, acacia, camel thorn, and the sausage tree. Many of these species are vital for wildlife and people alike.
How flowers are used in Botswana
Wild fruits and plants are crucial for rural communities, providing food, fuel, and traditional medicine, especially in desert areas. The marula’s fruit is valued for its vitamin-rich pulp. People have long relied on the land’s vegetation for daily needs, using different species according to what the environment offers.
Threats and protection in Botswana
Botswana’s forests have shrunk over recent decades, with only about 27% of land now forested. Protected areas, including national parks and reserves, cover 17% of the country and help conserve plant diversity. Community trusts and wildlife management areas aim to balance human use with conservation, but forest loss remains a concern.
The facts in this overview come from the Wikipedia article "Wildlife of Botswana", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence. Phool rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.
Cities and regions of Botswana
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Botswana: diego_cue, CC BY-SA 3.0, source