Kibale National Park
Description of Flora
Three major ecosystems form a mosaic of vegetation in KNP--forests, wetlands, and grasslands. Roughly 45% of the Park is forest, with the balance in wetlands and grasslands. The forests of the Park are classified as mid-altitude moist tropical forest. Trees reach over 55 meters (180 feet) in height and form a semi-closed canopy of stratified tree crowns. An estimated 229 tree species are found in Kibale National Park--roughly half of the country's total. While most tree species occur elsewhere in Uganda, some are noteworthy in that they occur in the Park as part of their limited range in western Uganda (e.g., Elaeophorbia spp., Tabernaemontana odoratissima, and Honnoa longipes). Important timber species listed as endangered include Cordia millenii, Entandrophragma angolense (naturally rare), and Lovoa swynnertonii. Non-timber tree species of economic importance include wild robusta coffee (Coffea canephora).
Foresters have broadly classified KNP's forest cover as moist evergreen in the north, and moist semi-deciduous in the south. In the central part, the high forest is a mixture of deciduous and evergreens, although evergreen species are dominant. In the north, where elevations typically exceed 1,500 meters, Parinari excelsa is dominant, with Strombosia scheffleri, Aningeria altissima, Newtonia buchananii, Olea welwitschii, and Carapa grandifolia as common associates. These species comprise the forest's richest timber types, and may represent the typical successional climax type at this elevation in Uganda.
In the central region (1,200 to 1,500 meters in elevation), forests are of mixed type dominated by Chrysophyllum gorungosanum, Celtis africana, Markhamia platycalyx, Piptadeniastrum africana, Newtonia buchananii, Chrysophyllum albidum, and Diospyros abyssinica, with Parinari excelsa occurring in low numbers.
The southern region (1,100 to 1,200 meters in elevation) is dominated by Olea welwitschii, Pterygota spp, and a mixture of Lovoa swynnertonii, Diospyros abyssinica, and Markhamia platycalyx forests. The lower elevations and river bottoms in the south are occupied by pure stands of iron wood (Cynometra alexandrii), with Pandanus spp., Celtis durandii, Celtis africana, Diospyros abyssinica, and Warburgia ugandensis sparsely present. The flat terrain, which is often flooded, has thick stands of palms, including the Phoenix palms, raffia, and screw palms. In the extreme rocky and riverine habitat of southern Kibale National Park, the rare and isolated cycads are found.
The forest understory is sparse and characterized by shade tolerant herbs and shrubs such as Palisota schweinfurthii , Pollia condensata, and a variety of ferns and broad-leaved forest grasses. In the northern part of the Park, past harvest practices (the Kibale Forest Reserve allowed selective logging until 1969) have created a secondary forest that is relatively open. Here, the forest has dense areas of herbaceous and non-woody vegetation dominated by Acanthus spp.
The Park's grasslands communities are similar to others found in high-rainfall areas of Uganda, with Pennisetum purpureum, Imperata cylindrica, and Cymbopogon afronardus species dominant. These species occupy hill-tops and are often the result of human settlement and fires set by hunters.
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