The Dry Miombo Woodlands stretch across the Central African Plateau through six nations, running from central Tanzania south into Mozambique and Malawi and west across central Zimbabwe, southern Zambia, and southwestern Angola. This is an open, mostly deciduous woodland of trees typically under 15 meters with 30 to 60 percent canopy cover, dominated by legumes of the subfamily Caesalpinioideae, chiefly Brachystegia and Julbernardia (notably Brachystegia spiciformis and Julbernardia globiflora) alongside associates such as Uapaca kirkiana, Combretum molle, and Faurea saligna. The climate is seasonal and tropical, with annual rainfall between roughly 600 and 1,000 millimeters falling in a summer wet season from November to April and a cooler dry season from May to October. Poorly drained hollows form seasonally wet grasslands called dambos, and the region supports high bird diversity plus large mammals including African elephant, sable antelope, and big cats. Much of the ecoregion lies within major reserves such as Tanzania's Selous Game Reserve and Mozambique's Niassa Reserve.
Marker placed inside the RESOLVE 2017 polygon at 12.9°S, 35.8°E.
Climate snapshot for this ecoregion
°C
°F
Current zone range (2011–2040)
11a-13b
Plotwright
CHELSA-derived typical winter month at this ecoregion's bbox grid.
Projected (2041–2070)
11b-13b
Plotwright
Where the CHELSA models say the typical winter month is heading.
Average warming this ecoregion is on track for: +4.0°F by mid-century. SSP3-7.0 (current trajectory) · CHELSA v2.1 bio06 sampled across 10 of 10 points within this ecoregion's bounding box.
About the tropical & subtropical grasslands, savannas & shrublands biome
Warm grasslands and savannas where grasses dominate and trees are scattered, maintained by seasonal rainfall, grazing, and fire. They support large herbivore communities and respond sharply to wet–dry cycles.
Catalog plants suited to this ecoregion
Computed from each plant's stated USDA zone range against this ecoregion's CHELSA-derived current zone range, with the CHELSA mid-century warming delta applied for the projection. Plants whose stated range falls outside both the current and projected zone end up dropped; the rest land in one of the three buckets below.
Climate-resilient picks · 52
These plants fit this ecoregion today AND remain in range under the mid-century SSP3-7.0 projection. Lead with these for a planting that holds up as the climate shifts.
No curated collection's plants all fit this ecoregion's zone range. We surface a collection only when every member would grow here — partial fits get filtered out rather than mislead. As the catalog and the curated set both grow, this section will fill in.
Related ecoregions
Other tropical & subtropical grasslands, savannas & shrublands ecoregions to explore: