Location: Chimanimani Mountains

General Information

Quarter degree square: Mostly 1933C3 Country: Zimbabwe Habitat: Afromontane forest, woodland, scrub and grassland habitats Altitude range: Annual rainfall: Probably over 1500 mm per year Location (short): Forming the border between Zimbabwe and Mozambique Location (detailed):

Description

The Chimanimani Mountains are an important "island" of the 'Afromontane archipelago' - the chain of mountain groups stretching from the Cape to the high mountains of East Africa. Their peaks rise to about 2,440 m on the border between Zimbabwe and Mozambique. The area, which in Zimbabwe includes the Chimanimani National Park, is of outstanding botanical and ecological interest. The mountains are formed by alternating strata of schists and quartzites. The schist soils bear a flora allied to that of the upland eastern districts generally but the quartzites, and the soils derived from quartzite, bear a very distinct flora including, at the latest estimate, over 80 species which are endemic to the Chimanimani Mountains. These include Protea enervis, Restio quartziticola, Calomeria africana, Aeschynomene chimanimaniensis, Disa chimanimaniensis etc. So far it would appear that all the endemic species are restricted to the quartzite areas. These are the only Central African mountains that have a developed ericaceous scrub zone.
[Information and images on this location by Rawdon Goodier]

View a list of records for Chimanimani Mountains

Google Map of records at Chimanimani Mountains

Images

Date	Photographer	Description	Image
1957	R Goodier	Eastern scarp forests
1957	R Goodier	View over the Bundi River plain
1957	R Goodier	N end of airfield; grasslands on schists and quartzites
1957	R Goodier	Quarzite pavement with Xyris
1957	R Goodier	Ericaceous scrub with Aloes & Calomeria on Dombe
1957	R Goodier	Summit vegetation on Dombe with Ericaceae & Helichrysum
1957	R Goodier	The Corner from Martin's Falls path