SAND FOREST AT LEOPARD WALK LODGE

Sand forest at Leopard Walk Lodge - Suni-Ridge Wildlife Reserve

SAND FOREST – A FASCINATING PLANT COMMUNITY AT LEOPARD WALK LODGE.

During your stay at Leopard Walk Lodge you will enjoy an opportunity to view the diverse and interesting biodiversity of our sand forest habitat in the Suni-Ridge Sand Forest Park Wildlife Reserve that surrounds the lodge.

This park was established to protect a section of rare sand forest vegetation, that forms part of the Maputaland coastal forest mosaic in and around the World Natural Heritage Site, the Isimangalio Wetland Park, False Bay, on the north east coast of South Africa.

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In South Africa, Sand forest is confined to the Northern coastal belt of Kwa Zulu-Natal. It has a rich and varied biodiversity with both deciduous to semi-deciduous trees and a high diversity of shrubs and flora. The taller eastern sand forest occurs mainly on the white sands that formed part of the ocean in ancient times.

Friendly zebra at the edge of the sand fores

Trees that are assosciated with sand forest may be viewed in our wildlife reserve at Leopard Walk Lodge. During excavations sea shells are still to be found at our reserve as 140 million years ago, the ocean existed where sand forest is now found on these ancient sand dunes.
Tree outings – Sand forest is a fascinating habitat
Close to Leopard Walk Lodge at False Bay Park, we are fortunate to have a sand forest expert, Dr. Francois Du Randt,  who arranges regular tree outings for those interested in botany and dendrology.

Trail into sand forest

 

“Recently Francois took World renowned dendrologists including Elsa Pooley into False Bay Park and they saw what seemed to be the very rare Tricalysia maputenis.  Dr. Du Randt revisited the the tree a few times and then after careful analisis decided that the tree was actually the Tricalysia junodii – both of these tree occur in the sand forest.  Francois hopes to soon find the allusive and very rare Tricalysia maputenisis”

During your stay at Leopard Walk Lodge you will be situated either on the edge of the sand forest in ” Buffalo Thorn”  or in the forest at “Secrets of the Forest”

Please feel free to contact us for more information or you may book online by simply clicking on the banner below.

We look forward to meeting you!

 

 

 

Old giant acacia robusta in the sand forest

 

See a list and description of the many sand forest trees in and around Leopard Walk Lodge’s sand forest.


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



A SUMMARY OF IMPORTANT SAND FOREST TREES:

CANOPY TREES

Cleistanthus schlechteri

Newtonia hildebrandtii

Hymenocardia ulmoides

Psydrax fragrantissima

SAVANNA TREES

Terminalia sericea

Strychnos madagascariensis

Strychnos spinosa 

Acacia burkei

Combretum molle

UNDERSTOREY TREES

Croton pseudopulchellus

Drypetes arguta

SAVANNA GRASS GENERAL

Aristida

Digitaria

 

 

 

THE FOLLOWING IS A MORE COMPREHENSIVE LIST OF TREES THAT HAVE BEEN RECORDED IN SAND FOREST:

 

Phyllanthus reticulatus,

Strychnos madagascariensis,

Strychnos spinosa,

Zanthoxylum capense,

Sclerocroton integerrimum (was Sapium integerrimum),

Landolphia kirkii,

Peltophorum africanum,

Vepris lanceolata,

Combretum molle,

Cantunaregam obovatum (was C.spinosa),

Galpinia transvaalica,

Searsia gueinzii (was Rhus gueinzii),

Gardenia volkensii,

Afzelia quanzensis,

Spirostachys africana,

Dovyalis longispina,

Tabernaemontana elegans,

Grewia microthyrsa,

Grewia occidentalis,

Erythrina lysistemon,

Erythrina humeana,

Erythrina latissima,

Croton steenkampianus,

Croton pseudopulchellus
Terminalia sericea.

Newtonia hildebrandtii,

Croton steenkampianus,

Uvaria lucida ssp. caffra,

Sideroxylon inerme,

Cola greenwayi,

Suregada africana,

Euclea natalensis,

Euclea divinorum,

Brachylaena huillensis,

Strychnos henningsii,

Cleistanthus schlechteri,

Acalypha sonderiana,

Hyperacanthus amoenus,

Wrightia natalensis.

Feel free to request more information, we welcome your interest.

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