What plants are native to Africa. Report on plants in Africa. Environmental problems of agriculture

Exotic fruits have become a part of the diet modern man. However, there are also not very well-known and common tropical fruits and fruits, which you can familiarize yourself with in this material. The mysterious king of fruits, durian and mangosteen, is introduced. Asian fruits and plants that grow in Africa and South America are considered separately.

South American fruits

Many tropical fruits of South America, now common in southern countries, began to be grown by the Indians. The fragrance of guava trees in the gardens of the Indians was so wonderful that, according to legend, the Spanish conquerors, having inhaled it, considered that they had entered heaven. Their fruits - strawberry guava, the size of a plum, or guava, the size of an orange, are still popular in tropical America just like apples in our country. These tasty, juicy and aromatic fruits are grown in the southern United States, Asia, and Australia. The Indians ate the fruits of many cacti, but none of them can compare in popularity with pithaya (dragon fruit), the fruit of an epiphyte cactus from Mexico. Covered with a bright pink shell, the fruit hides tasty white, red or purple pulp with many small black seeds.

The large green cones hanging among the foliage on tall trees are cherimoya fruits. This fruit was grown by the Incas, and now it grows in the gardens of Africa, South-East Asia, Australia and Southern Europe. The cherimoya fruit is cut and the white pear-flavored pulp is eaten out of the scaly peel with a spoon.

Sapodilla is a slow-growing evergreen tree native to Mexico. The Indians liked sapodilla fruits, and now they are valued all over the world for their juiciness and tenderness of the pulp with a milky-caramel taste. Since ancient times, they have been eaten fresh, made into pie fillings, and fermented into wine.

Is avocado a fruit or vegetable?

What is an avocado - a fruit or a vegetable? It looks like a pear, and its second name is alligator pear. But avocado tastes buttery and not sweet at all. This dietary fruit, rich in vitamins and proteins, nourishing and tender, was considered by the Mayans to be the most valuable product. The name avocado comes from the Mayan language. The Indians also grew the melon tree (papaya). At the top of the papaya trunk, under a crown of huge leaves, melon-like fruits with red juicy pulp, in the core of which black seeds are collected, ripen.

Avocados and papaya are grown on plantations not only in their homeland in Central America, but in many tropical countries Oh. They are also supplied to Russia. But the fruit of South America - feijoa - is also grown in the south of our country. Green feijoa berries, reminiscent in taste, are rich in iodine and very healthy. Feijoas are not very juicy, and they are often used to make compotes and jams rather than eaten fresh.

Asian fruits

In the countries of Southeast Asia, for example, in India, Thailand, and the Philippines, different Asian fruits are grown than in our area, and many of them are unknown to those who have not been to these countries.

One of the most popular Asian fruits there is the lychee, or Chinese plum. Evergreen lychee trees bear fruit well in the subtropics, and the Chinese were the first to grow lychees, more than 4,000 years ago. Under the red, pimply skin of the lychee fruit lies white gelatinous pulp with a grape flavor. Lychees are eaten fresh and made into jelly and ice cream. Its relative, rambutan, is similar to lychee, under whose hairy skin hides a tasty and rich in vitamins pulp.

Mangosteen fruit and its photo

Mangosteen fruit, native tropical Asia, is now grown in the tropics all over the world, considered one of the most exquisite fruits. Evergreen mangosteen trees begin to bear fruit late, at the age of 10-20 years. The mangosteen fruit is the size of an apple and is covered with a thick peel, inside which there is white pulp divided into segments with the taste of a mixture of apricot, melon, rose and lemon. In tropical Asia there grows a tall carambola tree, related to our forest grass, sorrel grass, hare cabbage. The cut carambola fruit looks like a star and has a pleasant floral taste. Sweet carambola is eaten fresh; unsweetened varieties are used to prepare salads, drinks and sauces.

Look at the photo of the mangosteen fruit, which can be eaten in any form:

King of fruits durian

A relative of mallow and Chinese is the durian fruit tree. Large as melons, covered with a prickly skin, the fruits of the king of fruits, durian, are disgusting and have a strong smell. It is even forbidden to bring it into public places- its smell is so sickening.

But the one who, having overcome disgust, tastes the pulp of durian, will experience real pleasure. Its taste has no equal; it is not without reason that it is called the “king of fruits.”

Tropical fruits and fruits and their photos

Look at the tropical fruits in the photo: it’s amazing what shapes nature could come up with. They say about white-handed ones: “They think that buns grow on trees.” But in tropical countries, natives of New Guinea, breadfruit trees, related to figs and ficus, grow on plantations. Huge round fruits weighing up to 20 kg ripen right on their trunks - twice as large as a watermelon. The pulp of the fruit is very nutritious. Before harvesting, a hole is dug around the trunk, lined with banana leaves, and the fruits are knocked down from the trunk with sticks. In the pit, the fruits are pierced with sticks so that the pulp begins to ferment. After some time, the fermented fruits are peeled and dumped back into the pit. They are covered with leaves and pressed down with stones. This is how the dough “reaches” in the pit, turning into a thick mass. Then it is diluted with water and coconut milk and kneaded. Ready dough portions are wrapped in banana leaves and baked in the oven. This is how “tropical” bread is made. Breadfruit-like jackfruit is eaten raw, and its sticky flesh tastes like a pear.

African fruits and their photos

Fruits from Africa have long and firmly conquered the hearts of people around the world. Look at the African fruits in the photo and read their characteristics.

"Bible berry" Figs, figs, fig trees, wineberries - people have given so many different names to this fruit, which has been grown for 5,000 years in Arabia, Syria, Egypt and Greece. The fig tree is mentioned more than once in the Bible; the fig leaf was the first “clothing” of the first man Adam. Figs are a relative of ficus trees, and their inflorescences are collected in the same boxes - syconia. From each flower a miniature fruit develops - a drop of pulp with a seed. Collected inside a pear-shaped syconium with a soft skin, the miniature fruits form a common infructescence - the fig. Figs are eaten fresh with the peel, made into jam or dried. Dried figs are often found on the shelves of our stores.

"Queen of the Desert". Dates are one of the oldest fruits known to man. Date palms grow in deserts, where there are underground springs, forming green islands among the sands - oases. Man “tamed” this “queen of the desert” 6,000 years ago; it was grown in ancient states: Egypt, Sumer, Assyria and Phenicia, which gave the date its name. Dried dates, a nourishing and non-perishable product, were taken with them by traders leading caravans to distant lands; both rich and poor people ate them. The Arabs still treat these palm trees with respect; they are grown in places where there are no groundwater, pouring water that is precious in deserts. Wild, ownerless date palms are long gone - each one is accounted for and has an owner who monitors the health of its nurse.

Sumac (Rhus lancea L. f.), Sumac family (Anacardiaceae) - evergreen shrub or tree up to 9 m high with dark brown bark and reddish branches. The leaflets of the compound leaves are narrow, dark above and pale green below. The flowers are small, yellowish-green, in elegant inflorescences. The fruit is round, with a large seed and a thin layer of pulp (beer is made from it, the berries are eaten by birds). The wood is heavy, reddish-brown, highly polished and processed. The plant is found in dry areas South Africa along river banks and in depressions.

Bottle tree, bumbo, Pachypodium Lila (Pachypodium lealiii Welcome. = P. giganteum Engl.), Kutrov family (Apocynaceae) - a shrub or tree up to 7.6 m tall, with a bottle-shaped trunk, widened at the base and narrowed towards the apex. Around the main one there are several lateral stems that branch at the apex. The bark is gray-green or light brown, often streaked with purple. The leaves are sessile, narrow-oblong, velvety, collected at the tops of the branches. The spines are purple, up to 1.5-3 cm long, usually arranged in pairs. The flowers, reminiscent of petunia flowers, are collected in clusters at the ends of the branches. It grows on dry rocky hills in the northern part of South-West Africa.

Baobabs are characteristic of tropical countries, especially tropical America. There are 28 genera and about 190 species in the family. These are often very large trees with thick, barrel-shaped trunks. In thickened trunks, parenchyma tissue is highly developed, storing water, which allows the plant to tolerate severe droughts.

1 - Boswellia Cartera (Boswellia carteri Birdw.), Burseraceae family, is found in highlands in Somalia, but its numbers are declining every year due to the collection of valuable incense resin. The genus includes more than 20 species. These are low trees or shrubs with a shapeless, crooked trunk and weeping branches. Their leaves are feathery and hairy. The genus Encephalartos, Family Cycadaceae, is interesting for its ancient origin. It contains about 40 species. These are mainly low palm-shaped plants with a trunk 1-4, less often 8-15 m high; there are also stemless species. Their trunk is simple or branched from the base. The leaves are tough, with spiny-pointed segments and usually serrated on one or both edges. The local name is “breadfruit”: previously, the trunks were split and hardened pieces of resin were collected for food. The seeds resemble dates, with a hard core, a layer of juicy pulp and a hard, often brightly colored shell. In the past, many cycads were exported from Africa abroad or transferred to botanical gardens, parks, and private collections. Now all representatives of the genus are protected in Africa. 2 - Encephalartos Altenstein (Encephalartos altensteinii Lehm.) - a plant usually 2-4, less often 7 m high; adult specimens are found surrounded by lower, almost stemless offspring. During the pollination period, yellowish female and male strobili emit a peculiar strong aroma that attracts a lot of insects, especially beetles. Megastrobiles are 40-50 cm long, up to 30 cm wide, weighing up to 40 kg. Grows in southeast africa. Widely distributed in botanical gardens. 3 - Encephalartos kaffir (Encephalartos caffer(Thunb.) Lehm.) - characterized by very slow growth, can live up to 500 years. Its habitat is small: it extends along the coast of the Indian Ocean in the Cape Province of South Africa from Port Elizabeth in the south and almost to Durban in the north. This plant has long been used as a food plant, but currently its reserves have decreased alarmingly due to the development of habitats for corn crops.

4 in Fig. top - Cyathea Drega, Drega tree fern, oriental tree fern (Cyathea dregei Kunze), Family Cyacheaceae - reaches a height of 5.5 m, has a strong, thick, unbranched trunk and an arched crown of very long, graceful, triple-dissected leaves, dark green above and light below. Found in South Africa (eastern Cape, Natal, eastern and central Transvaal) to tropical zone. It usually grows on plateaus, at an altitude of 350 m above sea level. seas, in the velds and on grassy slopes along streams. Protected in the Natal National Park, but protection is also required in the Transvaal.

Lead tree or elephant tusk tree (Combretum imberbe Wawra), Combretaceae family - reaches a height of 21 m and a diameter of 1 m. Its wood is heavy, the dead tree stands with branches for a long time. The trunk is pale gray, sometimes almost white, the bark cracks into small squares or rectangles, which is characteristic feature tree. The main branches, almost white, are called " elephant tusks", young branches often end in hard spines. The foliage is drooping (withered). The small, simple leaves are opposite, mounted on petioles, silver-gray, pale grayish-green or yellowish-green, covered below and sometimes above with tiny silvery, golden or reddish scales. Small yellow or cream flowers are collected in loose cylindrical spikelets, sitting in the axils of the leaves or at the ends of the branches. The fruit is massive, round, up to 1.9 cm in diameter, 4-winged, yellowish-green, the plant is characterized by slow growth, lives over 1000 years. Grows along rivers, in shrub velds in Zululand, Swaziland, Transvaal, southwest Africa. The leaves serve as food for many animals, the juice is used as food, and the wood, which burns very slowly and produces a lot of heat, serves as an excellent fuel. Africans consider the lead tree to be sacred, the ancestor of humans, domestic and wild animals.

4 in Fig. above - Xanthocercis zambezianis (Xanthocercis zambesiaca(Bak.) Dumaz-le-Grand), Legume Family (Fabaceae) – evergreen tree up to 18 m in height with very thick several trunks about 0.5 to 2.4 m in diameter (sometimes there is only one trunk). The branches “cry” at the ends. The leaves are alternate, with 5-12 alternate or opposite leaflets with a larger leaflet at the end. The flowers are small, white, with a grayish velvety calyx, collected in small clusters at the ends of the branches. The fruit is unusual for a legume - 2.5 cm long and 1.3 cm wide, with a smooth brown skin, it contains black seed in thin juicy pulp. The wood is white and heavy. It grows in lowland forests, on deep sands along rivers, in the hot, dry area between Soutpansberg and the river. Limpopo, in the northern part of the Kruger National Park, northern Botswana, Rhodesia and Zambia. Easily regenerated from seeds. Little known in culture.

The genus of aloe (family Liliaceae, Liliaceae) is widespread throughout the African continent, but tropical areas are especially rich in it. Aloe is a deciduous succulent, often tree-like, with highly branched trunks at the top, bearing bunches of fleshy leaves at the ends of succulent green branches. In the lower part, the trunks often become woody and covered with brown bark. There are about 240 species in the genus. All species are included in Appendix II of the Convention on Trade in Endangered Species.

3 in Fig. top - Acacia Galpini, monkey thorn (Acacia galpini Burtt Davy), Family Mimosa (Mimosaceae) - a tree up to 82 m high, if you take into account the underground part of the trunk (usually the lower part is covered with silt over the centuries, it is possible that trees up to 120 m in height were known. The trunk circumference is 1 m above the ground reaches 23.2 m, and the crown diameter is 555 m, the height above the ground is usually 25 m. The branches are widely spreading, on the trunk and branches there are long curved spines, the foliage is light green. The wood is heavy, dense, with a darker middle part. Formerly monkey thorn grew along the banks of the Magalakwena River, a tributary of the Limpopo, in the north-west of the Transvaal.At present, almost all the old trees have been destroyed by fires and hurricanes, but in some places in the Transvaal there are still trees up to 25 m in height.

4 in the rice above - Angrekum two-row (Angraecum distichum Ldl.), Orchid family (Orchidaceae) - found in western tropical Africa along with another orchid - Angrecum Eichler (Angraecum eichlerianum Kränzl.). This genus is very characteristic of Africa and the island of Madagascar and has 206 species. Most of them are epiphytes with leafy stems and highly developed aerial roots. Leaves are double-rowed, belt-shaped, flowers are solitary or in inflorescences. Many species have white flowers with a spur; they smell strongly at night, since they are pollinated by moths, the proboscis of which is equal to the length of the spur. Flowers of some species are used in making tea for their aroma.

4 in Fig. top - Egyptian ginger palm (Hyphaene thebaica(L.) Maert.) almost disappeared from the face of the Earth. This tree is 10 m high with 3-4 branches, each of which ends in a bunch of fan-shaped leaves, flowers appear among them. In females, the flowers are replaced by large clusters of reddish, shiny, yellow-brown fruits (there are up to 200 of them in one cluster). The fruits are edible, their fibrous powdery husk tastes like gingerbread, but is very dry. In Upper Egypt, this palm is called the “dum palm.” It grows in oases along with other rare plants. Its numbers have decreased due to irrigation work in the Nile Valley. The Egyptian palm tree is also known in the region of Chad and Chadian Sakhali.

Another type of doom palm - Hyphaene ventricosa Kirk. - found in the north of South-West Africa and Botswana, and to the north it penetrates into tropical Africa. This tree is 15-18 m tall with a simple trunk, often having a characteristic convexity in the middle or lower part. The crown consists of large fan leaves collected at the top of the trunk. The plant is dioecious. The fruits have a hard brown shell, underneath there is a layer of edible pulp, in which the hard core is immersed. The milk from the young fruits resembles the milk of coconuts. The top of the trunk is often cut off to extract the sap used to make palm wine. Its numbers have also decreased significantly.

In general, Africa is one of the centers of origin of palm trees. Two species of African palms are endangered and many are rare.

1 in Fig. at the bottom - Medemia argun (Medemia argun(Mart.) Wurttemberg ex H. Wendl.), Palm family (Palmaceae) - a palm tree up to 10 m in height with a bare, unbranched trunk bearing a crown of fan-shaped leaves up to 1.4 m in length, sitting on the same long petioles. The leaf lobes are hard, xiphoid, the lateral ones are much shorter and narrower than the middle ones. Male and female flowers - on different trees. Males are small, with 3 spreading petals 3-4 mm long, hidden in tomentose bracts and collected in dense spikes about 15-28 mm long and 1 cm thick. Female flowers 5 mm in diameter, round, on strong petioles 1 cm long. The fruits are elliptical, 2-5 cm long, with a shiny brownish-purple surface. This palm tree is found in just a few places in Egypt and Sudan. There are 3 known locations in Egypt - an uninhabited oasis 220 km southwest of Aswan, 200 km west of Aswan and on the eastern bank of the Nile (in the south). In Sudan it is known from one locality, approximately 200 km southeast of Wadi Halfa. It grows in river shallows, wadis and oases. Apparently, in the past it was widespread much more widely, and widely in ancient Egypt: in the ancient Egyptian pyramids there are numerous images and fruits of it). In general, palm populations are at critically low levels due to exploitation (the fruits are edible, and the leaves are used to make mats).

4 in Fig. above - Velvichia is amazing (Welwitschia bainesii(Hook.f.) Carr = W.mirabilis Hook. f.), Family Welwitschiaceae - a unique dwarf desert tree that has only 2 leaves throughout its life. The trunk usually reaches a height of 30 cm, very rarely 1.5 m, but underground it can be up to 3 m long. The trunk diameter is more than 1 m. The wood is as dense and hard as that of a sequoia. The leaves appear small, but as they grow they become wide, thick, leathery, ribbed, up to 3.7 m long, greenish-brown in color. They never fall and continue to grow, piling up on the sand. Male and female cones appear at the base of the leaves, on different individuals. Males are pink, while females are greyish-green at first and red when ripe. The seeds are winged, light, and carried by the wind. All organs of the plant secrete a transparent resin. It is found in southwestern Africa only along the west coast, from southern Angola to the south, reaching the southern tropic in the bend of the river. Caseb in the Namib Desert. The range is limited to the area of ​​ocean fog, the greatest distance from the sea is 80 km. Grows in sandy deserts scattered, in single specimens, never forming groups. Is protected by law. Velvichia is a transitional plant between the types of gymnosperms and angiosperms.

Published based on the book: Belousova L.S., Denisova L.V. Rare plants peace. M.: Forest industry, 1983. 344 p.

Africa is one of the largest continents on the planet, second in size only to Eurasia. It is equally divided by the equator, stretching from the tropics in the north to the tropics in the south. Only on the outskirts of the mainland are the subtropics slightly “clung”.

Africa is probably the last continent on the planet where wild nature remains untouched by man. There are harsh, harsh survival conditions here, strong, dangerous animals live here. Here a large number of unusual plants, which you will not find anywhere else on the globe.

Today we will talk to you about plants growing in Africa interesting plants African and unusual. We will learn about plants that benefit humans, as well as those that are no less dangerous than predatory animals:

Plants with unusual properties

Bottle tree:

The name of this tree speaks for itself. It very much resembles a pot-bellied bottle. A large volume of rainwater accumulates between the bark and wood of the lower part of the trunk. The middle part plays the role of a reservoir, which contains healthy, nutritious sweetish juice. It is thick and very jelly-like.

Bottle tree water is actively used by local residents, and the sweetish juice is one of their favorite delicacies. Well, the leaves of this tree themselves are excellent food for livestock. Residents make fibers from the bark and weave fabrics.

Sinsepalum:

This plant is native to West Africa. Sinsepalum berries have an amazing property. Eating them before meals makes sweet foods taste bitter, and bitter or sour foods taste sweet. Therefore, before drinking palm wine, which has a sour taste, the natives eat several sinsepalum berries to improve the taste.

Carnivorous plants

Nepenthes:

This unusual vine grows in Madagascar. Its long flexible branches reach a length of 10-15 meters and are covered with leaves. Appearance These leaves resemble pitchers that serve as live traps for small animals. Inside the jugs, a sticky liquid is produced that traps a mouse, lizard or frog that gets inside.

Genlisey:

This is a low, modest-looking grass on which large, unusual shape, yellow flowers. This spectacle is overshadowed only by the fact that long flowers are nothing more than a trap for insects. In addition, Genlisea has underground leaves, with the help of which the carnivorous plant lures and then digests insects and small animals living in the soil.

Pemphigus:

This plant loves water very much. Therefore, it grows in moist soils or directly in fresh water. This predatory plant is interesting because it has a bubble trap. In most species of this plant, the traps are very small and only catch small, protozoa. However, some species have traps of larger diameter (0.2 to 1.2 cm). They can already catch even water fleas and tadpoles that get there along with the water.

“Peaceful” plants that are useful to people

Dish pumpkin:

When talking about interesting and unusual plants growing in Africa, one cannot fail to mention the gourd or gourd. When it ripens, the flesh of the vegetable dries out greatly, and the dense peel becomes hard as a stone. Local residents use these ripened pumpkins as hollow vessels for water or bulk products. At the same time, people have learned to change their shape using special clamps where the developing ovary is placed.

As a result, you can get deep dishes, jugs, as well as flat plates and trays. Spoons, toys, smoking pipes, snuff boxes and various souvenirs are carved from the hard shell of the dish gourd.

Pumpkin - luffa:

Wonderful washcloths are made from the fruits of another type of pumpkin - luffa. Fiber is woven from fruit fibers, and then hats, swimming shoes, and other products needed by people are made.

Madagascar liana:

The vines of this plant play a large role in the economy of some tribes that use them in their farming. The branches of the plant are very flexible, elastic and durable. Therefore, they are used as ropes, weaving baskets and mats.

The Madagascar vine secretes a substance that repels ants and insects, which damage everything made of wood. Therefore, the branches of this plant are used in the construction of houses. Well, large vine pods, if their halves are opened, will protect the building from rain better than any tile.

Africa is one of the largest continents (second in size only to Eurasia). It is divided into almost two equal halves by the equator line, respectively, from the tropics in the North through the equator and to the tropics in the South (only the very outskirts of Africa are slightly subtropical). The climate can be perfectly imagined without long-winded opuses - heat with great intensity day/night. The nature of Africa should be considered by conditionally dividing it into North and South.

On a huge area of ​​30.3 million square kilometers There are a billion people living in a seemingly expanse of 30 square meters, but people live extremely unevenly across the continent. This is due to severe climatic conditions, water availability (the shortage of quality drinking water reaches almost its apogee). More than two thirds of the population are poor. In the North - the Mediterranean Sea, East and Northeast - the Red Sea, Indian Ocean, West - Atlantic Ocean. Africa is unusual, harsh and amazing.

Flora of Africa

North Africa

Africa, located above the equator, is almost all on the Sahara Plate. The relief is a system of plateaus and plateaus with erosion pits that arose in this part of the continent in time immemorial. Before talking about the plants of North Africa, you need to clearly understand that in summer in this part of the continent it can be up to 60 degrees Celsius with a “+” mark, “cold” winter - from 15 to 30 degrees Celsius.

Plants have evolved to grow in such conditions. Two subregions can be distinguished - the desert-tropical Sahara and the savannas of Sudan. About 1.2 thousand plant species have adapted to live in such extreme conditions - it is objectively clear that these are xerophytes and ephemerals; with rare exceptions, representatives of other species can be found.

South Africa

But South Africa is very special and more welcoming. More and more new plant species are taking root in this part of the continent, and now there are already more than 24,000 species, for example, flowering plants. All of Europe together cannot compete with such diversity; this is almost 10% of the world's plants of this type.

The most favorable for them is a strip of 200 kilometers in width on the coast of the South-West of South Africa (vector - from the West (Clanwilliam) to the East (Port Elizabeth). The Cape kingdom of flora stretches over an area of ​​5.5 thousand square kilometers, which has a unique species composition plants.

There is no such concentration of so many plant species in a tiny area anywhere in the world. The flora of tropical rainforests stood nearby. For example, near Cape Town (Table Mountain) there are 1.5 thousand plant species in 60 square kilometers.

African fauna

North Africa

Both for plants and animals, North Africa is extremely harsh, demanding in terms of adaptability, the ability to survive and adapt to the most difficult conditions. Very few animals have chosen this region as their home. And those who have chosen are under constant threat of extinction. The following are disappearing: mammals - 40 species (9 species are already on the verge), birds - 10 species, reptiles - 7 species, fish - 1 species.

But although there are few animal species in the North, there are a lot of individuals of these few that were able to adapt. They are very mobile and travel for kilometers in search of food and food.

Typical animals of the Sahara, for example, are antelopes (oryx, addax), gazelles (dama, dorcas), mountain goat. The value of skins and edibility are the most terrible enemies of animals; they, more than other factors, served as the engine of their gradual movement towards extinction.

There are both migratory and local birds. The desert raven is especially common.

Snakes, turtles, lizards - represent the world of reptiles of North Africa. You can also find a crocodile in some natural water reservoirs.

South Africa

And again - the South is not the North, no matter how banal it sounds. The species diversity of the animal world of South Africa amazes any person. Home to more than 500 species of birds, about 100 species of reptiles, many amphibians and insects.

Many residents of other continents go there specifically to see the Big Five with their own eyes. These are lion, leopard, buffalo, rhinoceros, elephant. They are a universally recognized calling card of Southern Africa.

The stunning diversity of fauna is abundantly represented by rare, exotic animals. Nowhere in the world are there so many stunning individuals. But there are also problems. The problem is the person himself. It exterminates, destroys, and interferes with amazing representatives of nature. Poaching, illegal shooting, and improper management are the enemies of animals in Southern Africa.

There's a lot to think about. After all, whether we show our children and grandchildren amazing images of individuals who existed with us but have passed into history, or maybe we show them to them with our own eyes, depends only on us.

Africa is a continent occupying a fifth of the Earth's landmass. About 100 species of various animals and 1,500 species of birds live here, vegetable world The continent is also quite diverse.

In different climatic zones you can find original and different plants from Africa. In drier regions, green “stone” inhabitants live, which in appearance resemble a bizarre boulder. Also, their leaves grow here and reach a height of more than three meters. The tropics are inhabited by bamboo, vines, ferns and other trees.

Surely, the most original green resident of this continent can be considered breadfruit. Many people think that the plant got its name because bread grows on it. But this is far from true. The fact is that the fruits of the tree are very similar in taste to this rich product.

Another plant native to the continent is mango tree. Its sweet, juicy fruits have become a favorite food of many peoples. And the most popular dish of the indigenous people is fried mango with potatoes.

Bamboo also grows in Africa. It is found quite often on the mainland, and often the trees can reach the height of a nine-story building.

Baobab. Not all African plants are long-lived, which cannot be said about the baobab. There is a plant on the continent that is about 5,000 years old. It is 22 meters high, the trunk circumference is 47 meters, the crown circumference is 145 meters.

Bananas. Another tasty dish that came from Africa and is known throughout the world. In Guinea you can see fruits reaching 60 centimeters in length.

Kalanchoe Degremona. Thanks to its unusual structure, Kalanchoe is unlike all other African plants. Its peculiarity is that each leaf contains many embryos with their own root system, allowing them to exist separately. And Kalanchoe juice is considered healing agent.

Palm trees. When describing plants in Africa, one cannot fail to mention palm trees. These trees have a cork structure, due to which, bending when strong wind, they are able to touch the ground with their top. But the main thing that attracts people to this plant is its tasty, aromatic fruit, called coconut.

In the eastern regions of the continent you can find crocodiles. Reptiles are enormous in size, and some representatives can reach a height of more than 6 meters and weigh a ton.

Another animal that lives in water is hippopotamus. The indigenous population calls him the lord of the reservoirs . You can meet the hippopotamus in the western, southern and eastern parts of the mainland, as well as on the banks of the Nile River. The animal feeds mainly on plants, but it also poses a considerable danger to humans.

Elephant. It is considered the heaviest and largest land mammal on earth. With the help of their long trunk, these unique animals are able to pinch grass, pluck leaves from trees and smell. Now these animals live mainly in protected national parks and reserves.

A lion. Since ancient times, this predatory animal has been called. These animals hunt both day and night, in packs and alone. Today there are about 23 thousand individuals, most of which live in national parks. However, few packs of lions can be found in western Africa.