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Quarter degree square: 0929A3, 0929A4 Country: Zambia Habitat: Woodlands with open plain in the SW, and patches of swamp forest. Altitude range: 980-1374 m Annual rainfall: 1051-1150 mm Location (short): This Park lies at the north-western corner of the Northern Province plateau and its eastern boundary is the Kalungwishi River. Location (detailed): National Park No. 7, gazetted 1972, 880 sq km. Kawambwa District. This remote and somewhat forgotten park lies on the north-western corner of the Northern Province plateau and its eastern boundary is the Kalungwishi River. The plain after which the park is named is in the south-western corner; it is oval-shaped and measures about 7km x Skm. It was formed by the weathering of an old volcanic plug dome. |
The grassland of the plain is typical of upland dambos in northern Zambia and towards the centre there are some very wet, swampy areas. Along the small drainage lines entering the plain are patches of mushitu and set back from the plain are scattered patches of dry evergreen Marquesia forest. Many of the park's rivers support strips of rich gallery mushitu but the vast majority of the area is covered by woodland. This is predominantly miombo of various formations ranging from tall, dense types on flatter terrain, to more open and sometimes stunted types on the steep and rocky ground. On alluvial soils there are patches of Pteleopsis anisoptera and at lower altitudes the woodland is somewhat drier. The Kalungwishi is a sizeable river with a variety of waterfalls and rocky rapids as well as quiet backwaters lined with riparian forest. The discovery of the recently described Brachystegia astlei from the southern border of the park (Bingham) leaves little doubt that there is more to be discovered in the flora of this corner of the country.
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