East Africa is not only famous for its wildlife and landscapes but also for its stunning array of flowers. From the lush rainforests to the arid savannas, the region is home to a vibrant variety of flora that adds beauty and life to its ecosystems. Whether you’re a nature lover, a photographer, or simply someone who appreciates the beauty of flowers, East Africa’s blooms are sure to captivate you.
Diverse and vast Africa has some weird and wonderful botanical wonders. The continent hosts fascinating plants, from giant trees that are not trees, to tiny pebble plants, corpse flowers, and nondescript living fossils over 2000 years old! Many of these plants are nondescript survivors of the arid landscapes of the Richtersveld and the Namib desert, while others are tropical wonders that thrive along the east coast.
Iconic African Flowers
Let's explore some of the most iconic and unique flowers native to Africa:
African Violet
The African Violet, native to Tanzania’s Usambara Mountains, is a delicate plant with purple flowers that has become a beloved houseplant worldwide.
African Violet
Read also: Experience Fad's Fine African Cuisine
Flame Lily
Equally captivating is the Flame Lily, a climbing plant with vibrant red and yellow petals that resemble flickering flames. The Flame Lily, Gloriosa superba, is a rare flower native to southern Africa and Asia. Its fiery red or orange flowers with yellow edges and wavy, flame-like petals are stunning, though lethally toxic. This spectacular shrub climbs using coiling tips and can grow up to 1 meter high from a tuber.
The flame lily is Zimbabwe’s national flower, symbolizing national pride. When Queen Elizabeth visited Zimbabwe as the crown princess in 1947, she received a gift of a diamond brooch designed in the shape of a flame lily during her visit. Despite its beauty, all parts of the plant are poisonous.
Flame Lily
Desert Rose
The Desert Rose is a succulent plant that produces stunning pink and red flowers.
Desert Rose
Read also: The Story Behind Cachapas
Frangipani (Plumeria)
Frangipani, also known as Plumeria, is a tropical beauty known for its fragrant, waxy flowers that bloom in shades of white, yellow, pink, and red. These flowers are often used in traditional ceremonies and are a symbol of immortality in some cultures. Frangipani trees are commonly found in gardens, temples, and along coastal areas, where their sweet scent fills the air.
Frangipani
Jacaranda Mimosifolia
The Jacaranda tree is famous for its stunning display of purple-blue flowers that blanket the landscape during its blooming season. When in full bloom, the tree looks like a cloud of lavender, creating a magical atmosphere in cities and towns. Jacarandas are often planted along streets and in parks, where their vibrant flowers and delicate fern-like leaves provide shade and beauty.
Jacaranda Mimosifolia
Weird and Wonderful Botanical Wonders
Welwitschia
The Welwitschia is a living fossil of the Namibian desert. A strange-looking plant, described by some as an “octopus-looking pile of dried out leaves”. In Afrikaans, the Welwitschia is called “tweeblaarkanniedood” which means two leaves that cannot die, an apt description for a plant that has only two leaves that will grow throughout its life. As the leaves lengthen, the ends wither and die but living sections can be up to 9 meters in length. These leaves grow out of a small woody stem. The Welwitschia plant has deep roots that access subterranean water. They grow in a narrow coastal mist belt, no more than 100km inland and are pollinated by the Welwitschia beetle.
Read also: Techniques of African Jewellery
Welwitschia
Hydnora
The Hydnora looks like a monster from a 1950s horror movie, often mistaken for fungi due to its bizarre appearance. Found in Africa, Madagascar and on the Arabian Peninsula, this rare plant exists mostly underground and only occasionally flowers, emitting a stench of rotting flesh. When its strange flower opens, it traps insect pollinators to ensure pollination before releasing them once the job is done.
Hydnora
Halfmens Plant
The Halfmens plant, native to Namibia, is a quirky and fascinating succulent. Picture a cactus that looks like it's halfway through a yoga stretch, and you've got the Halfmens. Its name, which means "half-human" in Afrikaans, fits perfectly due to its oddly human-like silhouette. Growing in the rugged Richtersveld desert in the northern Cape of South Africa and southern Namibia, these plants stand tall, with their spiky tops reaching towards the sun.
Halfmens Plant
Baobab
The baobab of Africa, often called the "upside-down tree," is one of Africa’s most fascinating natural wonders. Unusually for a tree of this size and stature, the baobab tree is not a tree at all, its a succulent and stores water in its trunk. These iconic trees can live for thousands of years, storing water in their enormous trunks to survive the harsh dry seasons. The baobab commands respect and in Madagascar where they call it Renala, “the Mother of the Forest”. These huge trees are the traditional resting place of ancestral spirits and must be treated with reverence. In Africa, the baobab is steeped in folklore, and the usefulness of the baobab has led to its second moniker, the Tree of Life.
Baobab
Giant Groundsel
The giant groundsel, found exclusively in the montane regions of central and East Africa, is a sight to behold-think of a pineapple wearing a sweater! Closely related to daisies, giant groundsels won’t grow below 2100 meters and can reach up to 10 meters in height. There are 11 distinct species, often called rosette plants due to their leaf arrangement. New leaves grow from the top and open outwards, while old leaves die but stay attached, insulating the stem from the cold nights and giving the plant its unique look. At night, these plants form a “night-bud” by curling their leaves inward, reopening during the day. Although they flower infrequently, they can display synchronized flowering, with many plants blooming at once. Some giant groundsels may even be up to 250 years old.
Giant Groundsel
Knob Thorn Tree
The Knob thorn tree is a forest species that grows from Zimbabwe south to the Western Cape. The trunk of the Knob thorn tree is covered with protrusions that look like teeth, or the scales on a dragon's tail, giving the forest an aspect of mystery and fantasy. The tree is a popular medicinal plant that contains chemicals that are anti-inflammatory and antibacterial. The Knob Thorn has been used in traditional medicine for centuries by the Zulu and Xhosa people of South Africa. In South Africa, the Knob thorn is a protected tree.
Knob Thorn Tree
Top 10 WEIRD and Wonderful Plants 🌿 and Trees on Earth!
Living Stones (Lithops)
Living stones, or Lithops, are delightful little succulents that have perfected the art of disguise. Native to southern Africa, these plants look just like the pebbles and rocks around them, making them uniquely camouflaged. Living stones range between 10 and 50mm, grow close to the ground, and can live for decades. The name "Lithops" comes from Ancient Greek, meaning "stone face," which fits their stone-like appearance perfectly. Their leaves are fenestrated and come in shades of cream, grey, and brown, with intricate patterns of dots and lines for remarkable camouflage. Lithops blend seamlessly with their environment but their unique appearance has made them hugely popular with succulent enthusiasts and plant collectors. To see them in their natural habitat you must visit the northern Cape Karoo of South Africa and southern Namibia.
Living Stones
Quiver Trees
Quiver Trees, or Aloidendron dichotomum, are fascinating wonky plants that grow in the arid regions of southern Africa. The name “Quiver Tree” comes from the San Bushman who used hollowed-out branches to make quivers for their arrows. Despite their name, these "trees" are actually a type of aloe, that can grow up to 10 meters tall. Quiver Trees have white waxy bark that protects them from the harsh desert environment but it is another unique ability that pushes them into the weird and wonderful botanical realm. When disease strikes or the plants are particularly distressed during a drought, the Kokerboom can cut off nutrients to certain limbs and self-amputate, thus saving the rest of the plant from disease and living to flower another day. Usually growing alone, there is a Kokerboom Forest near Keetmanshoop in Namibia which was declared a National Monument in 1995. Visiting the Quiver Tree Forest, you'll see young trees sprouting from rock crevices, with the oldest estimated to be 200-300 years old.
Quiver Tree
Medusa’s Head Euphorbia
The genus Euphorbia is home to many fascinating and beautiful plants, but the Medusa’s Head euphorbia stands out as one of the most unique. Native to the Cape region of South Africa, these plants feature numerous greyish-green, snake-like branches that radiate from a central hub, which supplies them with moisture and nutrients. Medusa’s Head succulents can spread up to 1 meter across. In spring and summer, yellowish-green blooms appear around the hub, adding to its striking appearance. Euphorbias are widely collected for medicinal purposes and sold in traditional ‘muthi’ markets.
Medusa’s Head Euphorbia
Aasblom (Carrion Flower)
The Aasblom, carrion flower, corpse flower, or starfish flower for a more pleasing moniker, refers to a diverse group of succulents that grow throughout southern Africa. Belonging to the genus Stapelia, Orbea, and Huernia, these intriguing succulents are renowned for their star-shaped flowers and unusual pollination methods. These weird succulents produce multifarious blooms, large, small, and brilliantly coloured. They are a favourite of collectors for their stunning appearance, but come with a small caveat, the flowers stink. To be precise, the flowers smell of rotting flesh or carrion, an adaptation to ensure that they are pollinated by flies. One of the most impressive members is the Zulu Giant. The Zulu Giant, Stapelia Gigantia, is the largest of these plants and the blossoms bloom to an impressive 35 cm (14 inches) across.
Carrion Flower
Other Notable African Flowers
Here is a small list of other plants native to Africa:
- Acorus calamus L.
- Ilex crocea Thunb.
- Ilex mitis (L.) Radlk.
- Borassus aethiopum Mart.
- Hyphaene coriacea Gaertn.
- Hyphaene petersiana Klotzsch ex Mart.
- Jubaeopsis afra Becc.
- Livistona chinensis (Jacq.) R.Br. ex Mart.
- Phoenix reclinata Jacq.
- Raphia australis Oberm.
- Washingtonia filifera (L.Linden) H.Wendl.
- Washingtonia robusta H.Wendl.
- Buxus macowanii Oliv.
- Buxus natalensis (Oliv.) Hutch.
- Warburgia salutaris (G.Bertol.) Chiov.
- Ceratophyllum demersum L.
- Curtisia dentata (Burm.f.) C.A.Sm.
- Grubbia rosmarinifolia P.J.Bergius
- Hydrostachys polymorpha Klotzsch ex A.Br.
- Kissenia capensis Endl.
- Aphloia theiformis (Vahl) Benn.
- Geissoloma marginatum (L.) Juss.
- Gunnera perpensa L.
- Myrothamnus flabellifolius Welw.
- Gerrardina foliosa Oliv.
- Apodytes dimidiata E.Mey. ex Arn.
- Cassinopsis tinifolia Harv.
- Pyrenacantha grandiflora Baill.
- Pyrenacantha kaurabassana Baill.
- Pyrenacantha scandens Planch. ex Harv.
- Cassytha filiformis L.
- Cryptocarya angustifolia E.Mey. ex Meisn.
- Cryptocarya liebertiana Engl.
- Cryptocarya woodii Engl.
- Gyrocarpus americanus Jacq.
- Litsea glutinosa (Lour.) C.B.Rob.
- Litsea sebifera Pers.
- Ocotea bullata (Burch.) Baill.
- Persea americana Mill.
- Xymalos monospora (Harv.) Baill.
- Brasenia schreberi J.F.Gmel.
- Nymphaea lotus L.
- Nymphaea mexicana Zucc.
- Nymphaea nouchali Burm.f.
- Aristolochia elegans Mast.
- Hydnora abyssinica A.Br.
- Hydnora africana Thunb.
- Peperomia blanda (Jacq.) Kunth
- Peperomia retusa (L.f.) A.Dietr.
- Peperomia tetraphylla (G.Forst.) Hook. & Arn.
- Piper capense L.f.
- Houttuynia cordata Thunb.
- Vahlia capensis (L.f.) Thunb.
- Canna indica L.
- Strelitzia nicolai Regel & Korn.
- Strelitzia reginae Banks
- Hedychium coccineum Buch.-Ham.
- Siphonochilus natalensis (Schltr.
The Sacred Blue Lotus
The cove, commonly known as gannet, is a perennial herbaceous species native to the African continent, but has been cultivated over the years around the world, mostly for its decorative use. It plays an important role in Egyptology, since it was taken by ancient civilizations as a sacred flower, because it resembled a kind of rebirth when leaving the water during the morning; blooming during the day and re-hiding at night. The ancient Egyptians used it as a decongestant and expectorant in mild catarrhal processes. If you want to consume the blue lotus as this ancient civilization did, you must add about 5 grams of the herb in a liter of wine and let it rest for a couple of hours. It is a woody shrub no more than one meter high, it has lush large leaves with wavy shapes and its flower is characterized by being of considerable size, reaching between 30 to 40 centimeters with large colored petals among roses.
Blue Lotus
