Hobbies And Interests
Flowering Trees
Flowering trees are the largest plants you'll find in the savanna biome. Senegal gum acacia trees produce clusters of yellow or cream-colored flowers on spikes that appear just above the thorns, which grow in pairs. The baobab tree blooms with white, crinkled, saucer-sized flowers that open at sunset for only one night during mid-summer, to be pollinated by fruit bats, before falling to the ground. Candelabra trees are tropical evergreens that bloom each winter with a spread of tiny, fragrant flowers that descend in fragrant clusters from rope-like stalks. The tiny white flowers of the jarrah tree, which is a variety of eucalyptus, are highly fragrant, feature a cone-shaped bud cap, bloom in groups of up to 11 blossoms and are used to make honey.
Flowering Shrubs
Flowering shrubs found throughout the world's tropical savannas are typically small, low-growing evergreens, are resistant to drought and fire and feature thorns rather than a cover of bushy leaves. Pagoda dogwood is a large shrub often found in tropical oak savannas, and each spring clusters of 3- to 4-inch flat, white flowers bloom on the young, blue-colored stems. Amur honeysuckle is a shrub that flourishes in the savanna biome, and it blooms with small, fragrant flowers that are tubular in shape and change from a stark white to a cream color as they mature. Smooth sumac is a native shrub of the savanna, and it blooms in dense clusters of green-colored flowers.
Flowering Perennials
Many perennial flowers flourish throughout the world's savanna biome, diminishing during the dry season but coming back to life each time the rains return, thanks to their thick stem bases and root systems. Common perennials found throughout tropical savannas include asters, milkweeds, coneflowers, blazing stars, sunflowers, goldenrods, also known as "solidagos," sweet clovers, wild indigos and vetches. Flowers found in tropical savannas are usually tolerant of drought, wildfires and the mild winters experienced in the tropical savanna biome.
Other Flowers
Other flowers of the tropical savanna biome include the white raisin bush, kangaroo paws and common finger grass, which is one of this most important food sources in the savannas of Africa. The flowers of the white raisin bush are yellow and shaped like stars, and they give way for the reddish, raisin-like fruit that give this plant of the savanna its name. Kangaroo paws are biennials native to the tropical savannas of Australia that bloom between August and October, and these fuzzy, red and green flowers serve as the official emblem of Western Australia. Common finger grass blooms with light-colored, flowering tufts at the tops of each grass stem.