A quantitative study of the grass and woody layers of a Mopane ( Colophospermum mopane ) savannah in the mid‐Zambezi Valley, Zimbabwe

Mopane savannah is one of the predominant dry vegetations of southern Africa. Despite the extensive number of previous studies, there are few quantitative descriptions of the vegetation types where Mopane Colophospermum mopane occurs as a dominant or constituent species. Most of the floristic typologies were restricted to the woody vegetation; hence, there is a lack of both floristic and quantitative descriptions of the grass layer. Here, we present a detailed quantitative description of both the woody and the grass layers of a Mopane savannah of the mid‐Zambezi Valley, Zimbabwe. Our floristic classification based on both woody and grass species consistently distinguishes four distinct vegetation types within a mosaic of woodland and shrubland. Results indicate the presence of a rich flora, with greater species diversity than previously reported. Surprisingly, our quantitative analysis reveals that some vegetation types traditionally associated with Mopane savannah are not dominated by C. mopane , but rather by Combretaceae species, such as Terminalia or Combretum spp. The comparison of the floristic and physiognomic characteristics between the Mopane‐associated vegetation types we described in the Zambezi Valley and other sites in the southern and eastern range of the Mopane vegetation confirms the high floristic heterogeneity of the Mopane savannah.