NO. 6 SMITHSONIAN EXPLORATIONS, I92O 33 



our prairies. Here corn is the principal crop and the large ranches 

 with houses far apart, each with a clump of trees, make the resem- 

 blance to our prairies in the earlier days even more striking. 



The portion of the Transvaal north of Pretoria, known as low 

 Veld, consists of a scattered growth of relatively small trees over a 

 grass cover composed of rather coarse tall grasses. This is one of 

 the most widely distributed types and an exceptionally interesting 

 one. The grasses are burned off each year and only such trees as can 

 resist the fires can maintain themselves under this condition. This 

 type becomes somewhat modified at Lourengo Marques, where the 

 vegetation, although quite luxuriant, still showed signs of a prolonged 

 drought period. Here, as in the region north of Pretoria, the Kaffir 

 Orange (Strychnos pungcns) is abundant, and there are many species 

 of Acacia and Combretum. The Cashew Nut {Anacardium occi- 

 dcntalc) is everywhere a prominent tree and has the appearance of 

 being indigenous, although introduced from South America. It forms 

 a large evergreen tree and is never cut down by the natives, who prize 

 it both for the fruit and for the nut, from which they secure both food 

 and a strong alcoholic beverage. Another tree of unusual interest 

 is the Morula (Sclcrocarya caffra), which has a valuable oil and 

 edible nut, with a fruit useful for making jam and an alcoholic drink. 



Of the more strikingly beautiful trees of this section are the red 

 flowered and fernlike-leaved Dclonix rcgia, the beautiful blue 

 flowered Jacaranda, and the Mahogany Bean (Pahudia qnanacnsis) 

 which produces in its large pods a large black bean with a brilliant 

 scarlet cup-shaped aril at the base and is one of the important timber 

 trees. 



The vegetation at Salisbury reminds one of the low Veld above 

 Pretoria, a grassland with scattered trees, singly or often in clumps. 

 At Bulowayo the grasses are less luxuriant and the trees smaller and 

 more xerophytic. The vegetation about Victoria Falls, except for 

 the small forest irrigated by spray from the falls, is also xerophytic 

 in character. At Kafue the grasses seem more luxuriant but the 

 trees are much as at Victoria Falls. Here a number of important 

 fruits were secured, most of which are still undetermined. A nut 

 tree of unusual interest, because of its value for food and oil and the 

 remarkably light weight of the wood, was secured here. It has been 

 known as the Manketti Nut (Ricinodendron rautanenii) . Here also 

 occurs the Beobab {Adansonia digitata), the largest tree in Africa, 

 useful to natives as a source of Bast fiber and as food. The acid 

 white pulp which fills the fruit and surrounds the seed is eaten or 

 dissolved in water to produce a refreshing drink. 



