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.

Christmas-bells (Trichilia dregeana) is a tree with extremely useful wood that is made into carvings in Africa and also used in the construction of canoes, furniture, and shelving. The wood is also burned for fuel and made into charcoal. This tree is grown commercially to provide shade for coffee plantations.

Pink bauhinia (Bauhinia monandra) is a deciduous tree that will grow to 7 m tall. It blooms from spring to fall with clusters of pinkish white orchid-like flowers with streaks of magenta. Blossoms attract butterflies. The leaves are shaped like butterfly wings and it is sometimes referred to as a butterfly tree. Grows in full sun with low moisture.

The milky white flowers of the red spikethorn (Gymnosporia senegalensis) grow at intervals along its red branches. Despite its unpleasant spines, it is an important food source for African animals, with monkeys, rhinos, birds and even larval butterflies depending on its fruit, bark and leaves.

Royal poinciana (Delonix regia) is also known as the “peacock tree” or the “flamboyant tree.” It’s a Madagascar native and is known for its brilliant crimson or red-yellow flowers. It grows exceedingly fast, reaching its maximum height of around 12 m in a short amount of time.

The desert date (Balanites aegyptiaca) is an important shrub in Africa because it provides edible fruit that grows in many conditions, from arid to flooded climates and in very poor soils. The plant is also used as wood for furniture, tools, and fuel. This tree is truly multipurpose since its sticky gum is also an effective glue.

Native to parts of India and Asia, toddy palm (Borassus flabellifer) is an attractive, ornamental palm tree. This species can grow up to 30 m tall. The dead leaves stay attached to the tree for years.

Red cedar is a medium to tall tree that is sometimes grown ornamentally. It is related to mahogany, and its wood has many of the same qualities, but it is more common, fast-growing, fast-reproducing, and drought-resistant, making it an excellent substitute for its endangered relative. It is used as a substitute for native-grown mahogany particularly in the USA. Worldwide, its wood is used to make musical instruments such as guitars, furniture, carvings, and wood paneling. It has also been used for shipbuilding. Despite its many uses it has escaped cultivation in some areas, and is considered invasive in parts of Africa.

When grown close together, wild apricot trees can form a barrier or fence around a property. The fruits are too acidic when eaten raw so they have to undergo some form of preparation. Just ensure that the fruits aren’t left to soak for a long time because the liquid from the fermentation has herbicidal properties and can be toxic.

The barbados nut (Jatropha curcas) plant is cultivated throughout the world for ornamental uses because of its rapid growth. Since cattle will not consume the leaves, it works very well as a living fence around grazing areas. Oil is extracted from the nuts and used as a torch fuel and burns so well that the fires are not affected by strong winds!

Although the yellow trumpetbush have beautiful and bright flowers that can be pleasing to look at, this plant is considered an invasive weed in multiple countries. A native of the southern United States, Mexico, the Caribbean, Peru and Ecuador, this plant is often found on roadsides, riparian areas, disturbed sites, and other wasteland areas.

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.

Orchid Tree (Bauhinia purpurea) is a flowering deciduous tree species native to India and Myanmar. Its hard wood is useful in cabinetry and tools. Its genus name Bauhinia is to commemorate the botanist Bauhin. It produces purple flowers every spring and is designated as the city flower of Hong Kong, China.

Aroma (Dichrostachys cinerea) is a legume species as known as sicklebush, Bell mimosa, Chinese lantern tree and Kalahari Christmas tree. Aroma is native to Africa, the Indian subcontinent and North Australia. This species is a serious invasive species problem in Cuba.

Woolly senna is a leguminous shrub recognized for its woolly textured leaves and bright yellow, butterfly-shaped flowers. It thrives in open, sunny habitats and has an adaptive growth pattern that allows it to prosper in a variety of soil types. The plant's seedpods are conspicuously elongated, which, when dried, twist open to disperse seeds, aiding in its propagation and resilience.

Because of its prolific blossoming, which can blanket the tree canopy and provide abundant shade, the southern silky oak is a good tree for parks. Its resplendent flowers attract bees, butterflies, and birds. Prior to the invention of aluminum, its wood, which is resistant to wood rot, was frequently used for external window joinery.

Mesquite is a small deciduous tree that is both highly invasive and quite valuable. The wood is used as fuel and timber, and the pods are used as fodder. Mesquite also helps with erosion control. Both its value and invasiveness cause a conflict of interest when managing this species.

Yellow oleander is extremely toxic and many cases of accidental poisonings have been recorded. The toxic oils found in this plant are sometimes used in pest control measures. However, the Cascabela thevetia does have significance in some religious ceremonies, specifically the worshiping of Shiva, a Hindu deity.

Neem tree (*Azadirachta indica*) is a flowering tree species related to mahogany and with an appearance similar to that of the chinaberry tree. For centuries, it has played an important role in Indian culture. Commercially, the neem tree is used to produce neem oil, pesticides, and cosmetics.

The typical form of Borassus aethiopum is a solitary palm to 25 metres (82 ft) in height and 1 metre (3 ft 3 in) in diameter at the base. In the river bottoms (floodplains) of many East African rivers (the Rufiji in Tanzania and the Tana in Kenya among others) a closely related form can be up to seven feet (2.1 meters) thick at breast height (4 feet (1.2 meters) above ground) and having the same thickness in its upper ventricosity. It also has a height of up to 100 feet (30.5 meters) The fan-shaped leaves are 3 metres (9.8 ft) wide (larger, to 12 feet (3.66 meters) in the bottomlands form) with petioles 2 metres (6 ft 7 in) long; the margins are armed with spines. In male plants, the small flowers are largely concealed within the scaly catkins; the much larger female flowers reach 2 centimetres (0.79 in) wide and produce yellow to brown fruits. Each fruit contains 1-3 seeds, each enclosed within a woody endocarp. The floodplains variety is almost certainly the most massive of all palms.