The Flora of Maun, Botswana (FOMB)

It is with my hope and determination while living in Botswana, to get to know as many of different plant species (and other organisms) as much as possible. More importantly, it is my goal to share my findings with others. The geography, terrain, climate, soil and biodiversity in Maun is astonishing. For example, on my way to a conservation workshop last week, I saw a group of baboons eating vegetation on the side of the road, a group of cattle jump over a large ditch, and wild dogs, breeds of which I am not accustomed to seeing in the states, but roam freely next to, around and between people.

Maun has a dynamically rich flora and fauna environment that has such a special vibe, in that-- the animals, plants and people live together in a way much different than Chicago or even the suburbs of the midwest in my experiences. There is so much life bleeding out and in, it feels as if it changes the mood and the experience of life.

I hope to share my love for plants and scientifically, their morphology, evolutionary history, physiology, anatomy, and ecological interactions within the environment and with people, in this one and subsequent posts called FOMB (The Flora of Maun, Botswana). I am in no way an expert yet, but I share with you all original images. All information I will provide about the plant will generally have a citation or a hyperlink of where the information was derived from. iNaturalist is a friend, so the identification of certain species can be found there. If ever you disagree with an identification, let's discuss it. I will name all species found with their scientific binomial name and common names.

Kigelia africana (Sausage tree). Belong to family: Bignoniaceae. There is only one species and can be found throughout tropical Africa (Eritrea, Chad), and south to northern South Africa, and west to Senegal and Namibia. (iNaturalist)

Fruit hanging. Can weight about 15lbs, looks like a sausage.

I tried cutting open one of the fruits but it was very thick and hard to open.