Shea butter is a popular deciduous tree found in savanna habitats and has a wide range of uses. The seeds contain fat (shea butter) that is used in cooking, pastries, moisturizers, soaps, candles, and cosmetics. The bark produces a latex that is used in chewing gum and glue. Both the fruits and flowers are important foods to locals living in savanna habitats.

Leaves are bipinnately compound, silvery pubescent or glabrescent. Flowers are creamy white, fragrant and in pendulous racemes of up to 30 cm in length.

Variable combretum is most notable for its strangely shaped fruit. These dark brown fruits are four-winged and variable in shape, explaining the common name of the tree. Sadly though, they are not edible fruits.

Sida acuta is a flowering perennial in the mallow family that is known as common Wireweed. The plant gets its name from its tough, wiry stems and branches. Though common Wireweed is native to Central America and southern North America, this hardy plant has become invasive elsewhere - its wiriness, unfortunately, makes it very difficult to remove from the ground by hand.

Blue Mistflower is a flowering shrub in the sunflower family. Allergies to this plant can cause asthma and skin rashes. It is an invasive species in tropical and subtropical pastures and agricultural fields, outcompeting more useful crops. It disperses via spiky seeds that float down waterways and are light enough to be carried by the wind.

Sweet dattock is a deciduous West African tree with a broad, spreading canopy. It typically grows in dry, open woodland areas, thriving in well-drained soil. The leaves are pinnate with leaflets arranged in opposite pairs. This tree is known for its small, sweet, fibrous fruits that are valued both for their taste and potential medicinal properties. Its hard, reddish-brown wood is utilized locally in construction and carpentry.

It may surprise you to know that cashew (Anacardium occidentale) is related to poison ivy, pistachio, and even mango! It is a tropical evergreen native to Brazil and produces a wood used to build shipping crates, boats, and charcoal. The resin in the shells of the fruits are used to make insecticides and plastics, so the nuts must be separated from the shells before being sold as food. Explorers from Portugal are responsible for introducing cashews to the outside world.

It is generally 91 to 152 cm tall, occasionally up to 3 m. Stems are hairy and square in cross-section. Leaves are oppositely arranged, 2 to 10 cm long, with shallowly toothed margins, and emit a strong minty odor if crushed. Flowers are pink or purple, arranged in clusters of 2.5 to 13 cm in the upper leaf axils.

Wild custard apple is a common fruit in African markets, sought for its pineapple-like smell, sweet taste and use for flavoring ice cream and other treats. It is also frequently grazed by livestock, and its bark is sometimes used to make insecticides.

The common bushweed (*Flueggea virosa*) is a bushy shrub that produces white, waxy fruits favored by animals and birds. Native to Southern Africa on woodland margins and riverbanks, it has also become naturalized in Hawaii and parts of China, where it is invasive and disruptive to local ecosystems. Common bushweed branches are regularly used to create handmade fish traps.

Bridelia ferruginea is a medium-sized deciduous tree characterized by its dense, spreading canopy and rough, rusty-brown bark. The leaves are simple, ovate, and darken as they age, contrasting with the pale green of new growth. This hardy species thrives in a variety of soil types, typically found in African savannas, where its robust nature enables it to withstand dry conditions.

The senegal mahogany is a medium-sized tree native to the tropical regions of West Africa. Its fruit changes from gray to black when ripe and discharges winged seeds to be dispersed by the wind. Its wood, Khaya senegalensis, is used for various purposes, including but not limited to interior trimming, construction, carpentry, and fuel.

Sand crown-berry is a robust, tropical tree that stands out with its reddish-brown bark and elliptical leaves which acquire a glossy green appearance as they mature. This hardy plant often thrives in Savannah landscapes, absorbing the intense sun to bolster its role in traditional medicine, reputed for anti-fever properties. Its resilience against harsh climates is echoed by its firm, upright stance and hearty root system.

Mobola plum is a tree species native to Africa. The fruit of the tree is a popular source of food for humans and wildlife, and is known to be rich in Vitamin C. The wood of the mobola plum is durable and has been used in furniture-making and as fuelwood.

Wild ginger is a perennial herb with robust, aromatic rhizomes. These underground stems give rise to upright shoots bearing pointed, lance-shaped leaves. Exceptional for its showy, tubular red or pink flowers, wild ginger thrives in the dappled shade of its African woodland habitats, relying on this cover for moisture retention and protection from intense sun.

Tamarind is a monotypic perennial tree grown for its timber and edible fruits. Tamarind trees yield brown seed fruits with a sweet, acidic pulp used in various varieties of cuisines around the world. The pulp is also used as a metal polish.

Salparni (Desmodium gangeticum) is a widely spread tropical herb that you can find growing wild in tropical climates. The plant spreads by hairy seed pods that cling to passing animals and humans, and can also stick to people's skin and clothing. The plant is pollinated by insects such as bees, and cattle grazing also spreads its seeds.

Native to the African savanna, monkey guava (Diospyros mespiliformis) is an important food source for African animals. Grazing animals typically eat its leaves, while jackals, in particular, are fond of its fruit, leading to another nickname: jackalberry. It frequently grows over termite mounds because the termites aerate the soil around it, while it offers them protection from the sun.

Coatbuttons is native to the tropical Americas and has become an invasive weed around the world. It produces arrowhead-shaped yellow or white flowers and hard fruit covered with stiff hairs. This plant is regarded as invasive because it produces up to 1,500 of these hard fruits per plant and spreads easily, outcompeting native vegetation.

Chamaecrista (Chamaecrista mimosoides) is sometimes planted on barren soils for its ability to improve them and increase fertility. It is also occasionally cultivated as animal fodder despite the fact that it contains the toxin anthraquinone chrysophanol. This bushy perennial herb can be most easily differentiated from similar species by a winged projection on the upper side of its leaves.