Useful Tree Species for Eastern Africa
a species selection tool based on the VECEA Map
Edaphic wooded grassland (wd)
Description
Within the VECEA map, we loosely defined “edaphic wooded grassland” as “edaphic grassland with scattered woody species” and “edaphic grassland” ( g ) as “edaphic grassland without scattered woody species”. This means that some vegetation types that would have been classified as “edaphic grasslands” in a strict physiognomic classification system (i.e. woody cover < 10% as defined by White 1983) may have been allocated to “edaphic wooded grasslands” in the VECEA map. (The definition of "grasslands" of Pratt et al. 1966 of "land dominated by grasses and occasionally other herbs; sometimes with widely scattered or grouped trees and shrubs, the canopy cover of which does not exceed 2%" may therefore provide a more accurate physiognomic definition of vegetation types that were classified as "edaphic grassland" by the VECEA project).
Although White (1983) described edaphic grasslands and wooded grasslands separately for the various floristic regions, we did not apply a floristic classification system to edaphic grasslands and edaphic wooded grasslands.

- Gachathi 2009; Figure 13.2 in VECEA Volume 5
Useful woody species
The main species recorded to occur within this vegetation type are listed below. Clicking the name of any of these species will open the page for that species on the Agroforestry Species Switchboard.
- Characteristic species: Acacia drepanolobium, Acacia seyal
- Other species present: Acacia gerrardii, Acacia malacocephala, Acacia mellifera, Acacia nilotica, Acacia paolii, Acacia polyacantha, Acacia pseudofistula, Acacia senegal, Acacia sieberiana, Acacia tanganyikensis, Acacia tortilis, Acacia xanthophloea, Acacia zanzibarica, Albizia amara, Albizia harveyi, Balanites aegyptiaca, Bauhinia petersiana, Borassus aethiopum, Combretum adenogonium, Commiphora schimperi, Dalbergia melanoxylon, Diospyros kirkii, Faidherbia albida, Hyphaene compressa, Hyphaene petersiana, Hyphaene thebaica, Lannea humilis, Microchloa indica, Oryza longistaminata, Piliostigma thonningii, Sclerocarya birrea, Setaria incrassata, Terminalia spinosa, Terminalia stenostachya, Terminalia stuhlmannii, Thalia geniculata, Thespesia danis
- Marginal species (occurrence less certain): Andropogon kelleri, Aristida adscensionis, Balanites rotundifolia, Blepharis acanthodioides, Bothriochloa bladhii, Cenchrus ciliaris, Chloris gayana, Chloris roxburghiana, Chrysopogon plumulosus, Cynodon dactylon, Dactyloctenium aegyptium, Gardenia ternifolia, Harrisonia abyssinica, Hyparrhenia rufa, Kyllinga alba, Leersia hexandra, Panicum coloratum, Pseudocedrela kotschyi, Setaria sphacelata, Sorghum purpureosericeum, Sporobolus pyramidalis, Themeda triandra
For more detailed information about the species occurrences see this excel workbook. It provides country specific information on species composition for this vegetation type. It also allows you to select a subset of useful tree species to provide desired products and services. For each species links to a number of websites / databases with information about this species are provided as well.
Conservation status
The table shows the area (km2) of the PNV is outside the protected areas (NP) and the area protected within one of the protected areas, split by IUCN management category. Only the nationally designated protected areas were included.
PNV | cat.Ib | cat.II | cat.III | cat.IV | cat.VI | NC | NP | Sum |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fb/Be/wd | 0 | 630 | 0 | 554 | 15,814 | 5,164 | 172,154 | 194,316 |
Wcd/wd | 0 | 28 | 167 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 419 | 614 |
wd | 111 | 6,837 | 2,276 | 5,386 | 4,163 | 3,639 | 47,079 | 69,491 |
wd/P | 0 | 3 | 76 | 0 | 49 | 0 | 501 | 629 |
wd/R | 0 | 0 | 47 | 0 | 25 | 6 | 227 | 305 |
Sum | 111 | 7,498 | 2,566 | 5,940 | 20,051 | 8,809 | 220,380 | 265,355 |
IUCN | Fb/Be/wd | Wcd/wd | wd | wd/P | wd/R | Sum |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
cat.Ib | 0 | 0 | 111 | 0 | 0 | 111 |
cat.II | 630 | 28 | 6,837 | 3 | 0 | 7,498 |
cat.III | 0 | 167 | 2,276 | 76 | 47 | 2,566 |
cat.IV | 554 | 0 | 5,386 | 0 | 0 | 5,940 |
cat.VI | 15,814 | 0 | 4,163 | 49 | 25 | 20,051 |
NC | 5,164 | 0 | 3,639 | 0 | 6 | 8,809 |
NP | 172,154 | 419 | 47,079 | 501 | 227 | 220,380 |
Sum | 194,316 | 614 | 69,491 | 629 | 305 | 265,355 |
Ia - Strict nature reserve, Ib - Wilderness area, II - National park, III - Natural monument or feature, IV - Habitat/species management area, V - Protected landscape/seascape, VI - Protected area with sustainable use of natural resources, NC - unclassified or not assigned, NP - outside the protected areas
Links
- More about the species selection tool
- Go back to the index other vegetation types
- Go back to http://vegetationmap4africa.org
- The map is described in detail in the documentation.
Citation and terms of use
- Kindt R, van Breugel P, Orwa C, Lillesø JPB, Jamnadass R and Graudal L (2015) Useful tree species for Eastern Africa: a species selection tool based on the VECEA map. Version 2.0. World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) and Forest & Landscape Denmark. http://vegetationmap4africa.org
- van Breugel P, Kindt R, Lillesø JPB, Bingham M, Demissew S, Dudley C, Friis I, Gachathi F, Kalema J, Mbago F, Moshi HN, Mulumba, J, Namaganda M, Ndangalasi HJ, Ruffo CK, Védaste M, Jamnadass R and Graudal L (2015) Potential Natural Vegetation Map of Eastern Africa (Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia). Version 2.0. Forest and Landscape (Denmark) and World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF). URL: http://vegetationmap4africa.org
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