The flora of Mlawula is notable for its great richness and diversity, more especially in the deep rocky ravines of the Lubombo mountains; here, almost pure stands of the unique Lubombo Ironwood may be found, and in their shade grows a cycad found nowhere else in the world, as well as many uncommon succulents and climbers.

The Mbuluzi river valley provides a floral link with the Mozambican coastal flats, and several species of plant more typical of that area grow here. The higher ravines and south-facing valleys tend to support a wetter type of forest or thicket, and are well worth a visit. The dryer Siphiso valley is characterised by knobthorn savanna, with bushwillow species on the rocky ridges. (See Vegetation Types, Vegetation Map)

The flora of the reserve comprises about 1035 plant species including 55 alien species.

Tambuti trees	Tambuti woodland

Priority Species

(Information extracted from Southern African Plant Red Data Lists, Ed. Janice Golding, Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 14, 2002.)

(Note: the links for each species will take you to the relevant page of the Swaziland Flora Database.)

Vegetation Types

(a) Bushclump Grassland and Open Grassland

This category includes the open grassland areas and grassland with termitaria based bushclumps found on the top of the Lubombo mountains.

(b) Moist Broadleaved Savanna

This vegetation type occurs on moister soils and is dominated by broadleaved, often deciduous species.

(c) Acacia nigrescens Savanna/Woodland

Acacia nigrescens has been used to characterise this vegetation type, although there is great variation in woody species composition within this category. For example, in the shallower soils of the southern parts of the Siphiso valley, the Acacia nigrescens woodland includes a high proportion of Grewia hexamita.

(d) Pioneer Acacia Woodland

This vegetation type occurs on areas that had previously been cultivated or cleared. They are characterised by the dominance of Acacia and Dichrostachys species.

(e) Mixed Combretaceous Woodland

On the western ridges, the dominant species is Combretum apiculatum; on the Lubombo escarpment, Combretum apiculatum is the dominant species on the lower slopes, and higher up, Combretum molle becomes the dominant species. The boundary between this category and the Acacia nigrescens Savanna/Woodland is not always clearly defined. Rocky areas on the Lubombo escarpment comprise a sub-type of this woodland where tree and shrub density is reduced by both rock sheets and loose rocks.

(f) Forest/Thicket

This category includes riverine forests, Androstachys johnsonii forests, dry Spirostachys africana thickets and open thicket mosaics (riverine, sodic and saline areas).

(i) Thickets and thicket mosaics

These vary from open thicket mosaics to closed thickets. Included in this category are those found on saline and sodic soils as well as Spirostachys africana thickets.

(ii) Lowveld Dry Forest and Thicket

This includes riverine forest. Along the Mbuluzi river, this type used to be extensive until large areas were destroyed by flooding at the time of cyclone Domoina.

(iii) Lubombo forest and thicket

Most of the forest in the ravines of the Lubombo mountains within the reserve is dry forest, but it does include some small pockets of moist forest. The dry forests include Androstachys johnsonii forests. A greater diversity of species is found along the watercourses running through the Androstachys forests as well as through the other dry forests.

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