Julbernardia globiflora is a tropical African tree widespread at moderate altitudes in Miombo woodland to the south and east of the equatorial forest region of the Congo basin

Congo Basin

The Congo Basin is the sedimentary basin that is the drainage of the Congo River of west equatorial Africa. The basin begins in the highlands of the East African Rift system with input from the Chambeshi River, the Uele and Ubangi Rivers in the upper reaches and the Lualaba River draining wetlands...

. Its common name is Mnondo. It is ecologically important over wide areas and is dominant to co-dominant in many types of woodland, always being most successful in drier types of deciduous

Deciduous

Deciduous means "falling off at maturity" or "tending to fall off", and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally, and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe...

 woodland where there is less competition.

Distribution

The Mnondo occurs away from the coast except at the southern limit of its range. It prefers a hot dry resting season and plenty of rain in the summer growing season. It grows best where there is a definite contrast between day and night temperatures and does best at altitudes of 1000 metres or more (the inland plateaus of south tropical Africa.) From Tanzania

Tanzania

The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...

 across to Angola

Angola

Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...

 it is found in dry types of woodland and is seldom dominant although common in many woodland types. It is the only species of Julbernardia present in Botswana

Botswana

Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana , is a landlocked country located in Southern Africa. The citizens are referred to as "Batswana" . Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name after becoming independent within the Commonwealth on 30 September 1966...

 (the northern parts only) and it reaches its southern extent in Mozambique

Mozambique

Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...

 just south of the Save River near the coast at about 22°S, not reaching outside the tropics.

In Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...

 it is common in all types of deciduous woodland and is often co-dominant with the Msasa and is also locally common in the drier woodland of the south where the Msasa does not thrive.

Ecology

The Mnondo is a medium-sized tree. In the northern half of its range, it is generally 15-16 meters high but can grow up to 18 meters. It is deciduous but may not lose all of its leaves before producing new ones. In the southern half, it is usually smaller (12-13 meters is a large specimen). It is also deciduous but sometimes stands bare for two months or more. During spring it displays a bright red foliage, and in Zambia, Zimbabwe and Malawi it joins the Msasa's springtime leaf show in late August. It is not as variable in its leaf colours as the Msasa and the red colour fades back to green more quickly.

The Mnondo closely resembles the Msasa in many ways and the two are not easy to tell apart, especially in the southern parts of the Mnondo's range where they are much closer in size. The distinguishing feature is that the leaflets on the Msasa increase in size towards the end of the leaf, making them hang downwards, while those of the Mnondo are biggest in the middle so they do not hang in the same way. Secondly, the Mnondo blooms later than the Msasa, in mid-summer (around January). Although the flowers are just as insignificant as the those of the Msasa, the Mnondo pods are concentrated at the top and sides of the tree and are readily visible in late summer, unlike the Msasa's that are among the leaves. The Mnondo also has a less impressive shape and lighter branches so it is less attractive in appearance.

External links

• Julbernardia globiflora USDA factsheet