Africa’s flora is dictated by the local climate, and its natural vegetation is, therefore, very varied – from fertile rainforests where rain falls virtually every month of the year to arid desert landscapes where years can pass without rain.
Even deserts have plants which not only survive, but flourish. Cactuses, for example, have very thick skins to hold in moisture and thorns to stop animals from eating them. Succulents also protect their swollen leaves of water with spines or sometimes with toxins.