The Chirinda Forest Botanical Reserve is situated on the slopes of Mount Selinda, south of Chipinge, in the Chipinge Highlands of Manicaland, Zimbabwe, and is administered by the Forestry Commission. The reserve is situated at between in altitude, and receives some to of annual rainfall. of its higher levels, above , is covered by moist evergreen forest, specifically Zanzibar-Inhambane transitional rain forest, of which it represents the southernmost occurrence. The headwaters of three streams, namely the Zona, Chinyika and Musangazi, drain the two broad highlands which it encloses. The boundaries of the reserve are not strictly enforced, so that cattle grazing and plant harvesting are ongoing. The reserve is surrounded by communal settlements, commercial timber plantations ( eucalypts and

pines A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden a ...

) and small-scale commercial farming units. The naturalist Charles Swynnerton was appointed manager of the nearby Gungunyana farm in 1900, and a number of plant, bird and insect names commemorate his collecting activities of the next two decades. Chirinda means "lookout" or "vantage point" in the chiNdau language, or perhaps "place of refuge".

Ecology

The medium altitude forest is likely the southernmost patch of subtropical rainforest in Africa. Phytogeographically it is classed as

Afromontane The Afromontane regions are subregions of the Afrotropical realm, one of the Earth's eight biogeographic realms, covering the plant and animal species found in the mountains of Africa and the southern Arabian Peninsula. The Afromontane regions ...

forest, but with lowland and Guineo-Congolian elements. It is situated on two hill tops on

dolerite Diabase (), also called dolerite () or microgabbro, is a mafic, holocrystalline, subvolcanic rock equivalent to volcanic basalt or plutonic gabbro. Diabase dikes and sills are typically shallow intrusive bodies and often exhibit fine-grained ...

-derived soils, and Müller (1991) proposed that these soil types determine its extent. Goldsmith (1876) however suggested that it is only a relic of a once much larger forest which has been reduced by gradual climatic changes in a few hundred years. Year-round moisture, in the form of rain, mist or dew, provides for a substantial and intact moist leaf litter layer, on which its ecological processes depend. Decomposition is fungal, and not by termites or similar insects as would be the case in drier woodlands of the region. Several tree species bear fleshy fruit, resulting in a good representation of mammal and bird

frugivore A frugivore is an animal that thrives mostly on raw fruits or succulent fruit-like produce of plants such as roots, shoots, nuts and seeds. Approximately 20% of mammalian herbivores eat fruit. Frugivores are highly dependent on the abundance an ...

s, which impact both negatively and positively on seed dispersal. Much of the fauna shows affinities to forests elsewhere, particularly those at lower altitudes along the East Africa coastal plains.

Protection

Protection from fires is expected to facilitate the regeneration and expansion of the forest. During his time of residence, Swynnerton noted that recurring fires had been gradually reducing outlying forest patches. Destruction of portions of the Chipete and Chipungambira satellite forest patches occurred during the 1860s. It may have been aided by elephants which opened up forest, but more likely resulted from indigenous people who regularly cleared land by fire in spring time. Fire-resistant mobola plum and mahobohobo trees are pioneer species in such areas. Maupare (1993) however noted that the forest boundary was stable and that former logging operations in the northern section had no lasting effect on the plant diversity. This extraction of red mahogany, peawood and

tannodia ''Tannodia'' is a plant genus of the family Euphorbiaceae first described as a genus in 1861. It is native to Africa, Madagascar, and Comoros. It is dioecious. ;Species # '' Tannodia congolensis'' - Zaïre # ''Tannodia cordifolia'' - Comoros, ...

during the 1940s also had little effect on its extent.

Flora and fauna

The area is home to a high diversity of plants, fungi, birds, butterflies, insects and reptiles.

Flora

Rare tree species which seldom occur elsewhere in Zimbabwe include the

fluted milkwood Fluting may refer to: * Fluting (architecture) * Fluting (firearms) * Fluting (geology) * Fluting (glacial) * Fluting (paper) Arts, entertainment, and media * Fluting on the Hump See also *Flute (disambiguation) A flute is a musical instrumen ...

(dominant canopy species), Chirinda fig, undershrub big-leaf, Chirinda stinkwood, yellow bitterberry and forest strychnos. The type of the latter species was obtained in the forest by Swynnerton. The dominant canopy species, besides fluted milkwood, are forest mahogany and peawood. The sub-canopy is occupied by

, forest strychnos and forest ironplum. The Big Tree grows in the southern part of the reserve in the "Valley of the Giants". It is the largest red mahogany tree in southern Africa and the tallest native tree in

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...

. The 600- to 1,000-year-old (some estimate 2,000-year-old) leviathan has a trunk diameter of about 6 metres. Other forest tree species include colossal specimens of strangling figs,

brown mahogany ''Lovoa swynnertonii'', also called brown mahogany or Kilimanjaro mahogany, is a species of plant in the family Meliaceae. It is found in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Mozambique, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zimbabwe. It is threatened b ...

white stinkwood ''Celtis africana'', the white stinkwood, is a deciduous tree in the family Cannabaceae. Its habit ranges from a tall tree in forest to a medium-sized tree in bushveld and open country, and a shrub on rocky soil. It occurs in Yemen and over la ...

, forest climbing acacia,

ironwood Ironwood is a common name for many woods or plants that have a reputation for hardness, or specifically a wood density that is heavier than water (approximately 1000 kg/m3, or 62 pounds per cubic foot), although usage of the name ironwood in E ...

, giant diospyros, apricot vine, forest peach, forest rothmannia,

strombosia ''Strombosia'' is a plant genus of about 10 species in the family Olacaceae. It has also been classified in the family Strombosiaceae. The generic name is from the Greek ', meaning "pear-shaped", referring to the fruit. Description ''Strombosia'' ...

and forest toad-tree. The forest edge is characterized by smooth-barked flat-crown, forest num-num, forest sword-leaf, horsewood, forest croton, climbing turkey-berry, Manica bride's bush, green flower tree, small-fruited teclea, elbow-leaf, mitzeerie, eastern blue-bush, magic guarri, orange-milk tree, lavender tree, mobola plum, wild currant and climbing orange are common species of the surrounding savannah. Thousands of specimens of the yucca-like '' Dracaena fragrans'' populate the forest floor, and numerous ferns, creepers, vines, epiphytes and orchids (including ''

Calanthe sylvatica ''Calanthe sylvatica'' is a species of orchid. It is native to tropical and southern Africa from Sierra Leone to Tanzania to South Africa, as well as Madagascar, Comoros, Mauritius and Réunion. References External links

* * Calanthe, s ...

'') are to be found.

Montbretia ''Crocosmia'' (;), also known as montbretia, is a small genus of flowering plants in the iris family, Iridaceae. It is native to the grasslands of southern and eastern Africa, ranging from South Africa to Sudan. One species is endemic to Madagas ...

and flame lilies are also present, while

guava Guava () is a common tropical fruit cultivated in many tropical and subtropical regions. The common guava '' Psidium guajava'' (lemon guava, apple guava) is a small tree in the myrtle family (Myrtaceae), native to Mexico, Central America, ...

lantana ''Lantana'' () is a genus of about 150 species of perennial flowering plants in the verbena family, Verbenaceae. They are native to tropical regions of the Americas and Africa but exist as an introduced species in numerous areas, especially ...

and

ginger Ginger (''Zingiber officinale'') is a flowering plant whose rhizome, ginger root or ginger, is widely used as a spice and a folk medicine. It is a herbaceous perennial which grows annual pseudostems (false stems made of the rolled bases of ...

are exotic

invasive species An invasive species otherwise known as an alien is an introduced organism that becomes overpopulated and harms its new environment. Although most introduced species are neutral or beneficial with respect to other species, invasive species adv ...

Fauna

Mammals

Samango monkeys Samango is a town in northwestern Ivory Coast. It is a Sub-prefectures of Ivory Coast, sub-prefecture of Gbéléban Department in Kabadougou Region, Denguélé District. Samango was a Communes of Ivory Coast, commune until March 2012, when it bec ...

are regularly seen, and

leopard The leopard (''Panthera pardus'') is one of the five extant species in the genus '' Panthera'', a member of the cat family, Felidae. It occurs in a wide range in sub-Saharan Africa, in some parts of Western and Central Asia, Southern Russia ...

on the odd occasion. The local races of the

mutable sun squirrel The mutable sun squirrel (''Heliosciurus mutabilis'') is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae. It is found in Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, subt ...

(''H. m. chirindensis'') and red-bellied coast squirrel (i.e. Selinda mountain squirrel, ''P. p. swynnertoni'') are mountain isolates. The

Selinda veld rat The Selinda veld rat or Silinda rock rat (''Aethomys silindensis'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae found in possibly Mozambique and Zimbabwe. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forest A forest is an area of l ...

occurs in tangled vegetation on rocky areas, and is only known from two other sites in Zimbabwe.

Birds

A few highland bird species reach their southernmost occurrence here, namely the Chirinda apalis (type locality), Swynnerton's robin, a globally threatened monotypic genus,

stripe-cheeked greenbul The stripe-cheeked greenbul (''Arizelocichla milanjensis'') is a species of the bulbul family of passerine birds. It is found in south-eastern Africa. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. Taxonomy and systematics ...

(''A. m. disjunctus''), moustached warbler (''M. m. orientalis''), white-tailed flycatcher and

yellow-bellied waxbill The yellow-bellied waxbill (''Coccopygia quartinia'') is a species of estrildid finch native to East Africa. The bird is now named yellow-bellied swee. It breeds in east central and south-eastern Africa. Some taxonomists consider it to be cons ...

. Wide-ranging African species include crowned eagle,

trumpeter The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...

and

silvery-cheeked hornbill The silvery-cheeked hornbill (''Bycanistes brevis'') is a large species of hornbill found in Africa. Silvery-cheeked hornbills are residents of the tall evergreen forests of East Africa from Ethiopia to South Africa. In Zimbabwe it is threatened ...

s, both breeders, Livingstone's turaco, lemon dove, green pigeon, owls, nightjars, bee-eaters, pygmy kingfisher, yellow-streaked (''P. f. dendrophilus'') and

sombre greenbul The sombre greenbul (''Andropadus importunus'') is a member of the bulbul family of passerine birds. It is a resident breeder in coastal bush, evergreen forest and dry shrub land in eastern and southern Africa. It is the only member of the genu ...

s, yellow-throated (''S. r. alacris''), Barratt's (''B. b. priesti'') and

broad-tailed warbler The fan-tailed grassbird or broad-tailed warbler (''Catriscus brevirostris'') is an African species of Old World warbler in the family Locustellidae. The species is closely related to the broad-tailed grassbird of India, and is sometimes treate ...

olive The olive, botanical name ''Olea europaea'', meaning 'European olive' in Latin, is a species of small tree or shrub in the family Oleaceae, found traditionally in the Mediterranean Basin. When in shrub form, it is known as ''Olea europaea'' ...

and

black-fronted bushshrike The black-fronted bushshrike (''Chlorophoneus nigrifrons'') is a passerine bird of the bushshrike family, Malaconotidae. It inhabits forests mainly in East Africa. It forms a superspecies with the many-colored bushshrike (''C. multicolor'') a ...

s, Cape batis,

sunbird Sunbirds and spiderhunters make up the family Nectariniidae of passerine birds. They are small, slender passerines from the Old World, usually with downward-curved bills. Many are brightly coloured, often with iridescent feathers, particularly ...

s and firefinches. Various bird races were first described from this location: a strikingly coloured race of red-necked spurfowl (''P. a. swynnertoni''),Sclater, W. L. (1921). ''Bull. Brit. Orn. Club'' 41 (134) a fulvous-coloured race of wailing cisticola (''C. l. mashona''),Lynes (1930). ''Ibis''. Suppl: 229 a race of bar-throated apalis (''A. t. arnoldi''), the smallish, dusky and streaky-throated Swynnerton's thrush (''T. o. swynnertoni'')Bannerman, 1913. ''Bull. Brit. Orn. Club'', 31:56 which is endemic to the Eastern Highlands, and a race of

olive sunbird The olive sunbird (''Cyanomitra olivacea'') is a species of sunbird found in a large part of Africa south of the Sahel. It prefers forested regions, and is absent from drier, more open regions such as the Horn of Africa and most of south-central ...

(''C. o. sclateri''). The forest is situated too low for orange thrush,

Roberts's warbler Roberts's warbler (''Oreophilais robertsi''), also known as the briar warbler, is a species of bird in the family Cisticolidae. It is found in the Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe and Mozambique. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical mo ...

malachite Malachite is a copper carbonate hydroxide mineral, with the formula Cu2CO3(OH)2. This opaque, green-banded mineral crystallizes in the monoclinic crystal system, and most often forms botryoidal, fibrous, or stalagmitic masses, in fracture ...

bronze sunbird The bronzy sunbird (''Nectarinia kilimensis'') is a species of bird in the family Nectariniidae. They are located mostly in parts of southern Africa. Description Bronzy sunbirds have a long, thin, well-curved bill. Males have bronze-and-gre ...

s, and too high for yellow-spotted nicator, white-eared barbet or

grey waxbill The grey waxbill or black-tailed waxbill (''Glaucestrilda perreini'') is a common species of estrildid finch found in wetter land of Southern Africa. It has an estimated global extent of occurrence of . There are two recognized subspecies: *''G ...

. Crested guineafowl however inhabits its lower elevations and green malkoha recently populated the forest from lower altitudes. Blue-mantled flycatchers occupy the lower altitudes or fringing thickets, but remain segregated from white-tailed flycatchers which occupy the forest proper or higher canopy.

Reptiles

The reptile fauna includes pythons, cobras, vipers, mambas, adders, chameleons, geckos, skinks and lizards. Marshall's leaf chameleon, an endemic of the Eastern Highlands, is found within the forest and along its margins. The

type species In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specimen( ...

''C. swynnertoni'' of the worm lizard genus '' Chirindia'' was described from this locality, while another worm lizard, ''

Zygaspis ferox ''Zygaspis ferox'' is a worm lizard species in the family Amphisbaenidae. It is endemic to Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Ri ...

'', is endemic to the forest and its vicinity.

Amphibians

The types of Broadley's forest treefrog, Hewitt's long-nosed frog and the Chirinda toad were obtained in the forest. The Chirinda toad is known from Chirinda and the forest north of Dombé in adjacent Mozambique. It is a terrestrial species that lives on leaf-litter, and takes refuge under rotten logs.

Insects

The Mount Selinda acraea mimic butterfly (''Mimacraea neokoton'') is found nowhere else. The

type Type may refer to: Science and technology Computing * Typing, producing text via a keyboard, typewriter, etc. * Data type, collection of values used for computations. * File type * TYPE (DOS command), a command to display contents of a file. * Ty ...

of the ebony bush brown was obtained from Chirinda forest, and it is also known from the Vumba. It flies all year and has distinct seasonal forms.Pringle, et al., 1994 The Chirinda bush brown is named for the forest, but it is in fact a widespread species. Its type was obtained at an unknown location in the Eastern Highlands, and it is distinguished from the previous species by its lighter upperside ground colour, and the contrasting hair-pencils of the male.

Facilities

The well-marked route to the campsite leaves the main road just east of the mission hospital in Mount Selinda. It is located 4 km into the forest, and also has chalets with clean facilities and

braai Barbecue varies by the type of meat, sauce, rub, or other flavorings used, the point in barbecuing at which they are added, the role smoke plays, the equipment and fuel used, cooking temperature, and cooking time. The meat may be whole, groun ...

stands.

Site locations

* Big Tree, Valley of the Giants * Chipete forest * Chirinda forest campsite * Gungunyana farm * Swynnerton memorial

References

External links

{{commonscategory-inline, Chirinda Forest Botanical Reserve

Iziko Museums Chipinge District Eastern Highlands Protected areas of Zimbabwe Southern Zanzibar–Inhambane coastal forest mosaic Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests