Species of Combretum and Terminalia are the typical savanna trees, and the ground is covered with long grasses, herbs, and shrubs.

Trees in the drier woodlands generally less than 10 meters high, and include Anogeissus spp.

with Acacia spp., Balanites aegyptiaca, Combretum glutinosum, Commiphora africana, Prosopis africana, Tamarindus indica, Olea europaea, Cupressus sempervirens, Vachellia tortilis, Salix alba, Juglans regia, Populus alba, Populus nigra, Quercus coccifera, Quercus ilex, Quercus pubescens, Pistacia terebinthus, Juniperus communis, Pinus pinea, Pinus nigra, Ceratonia siliqua, Arbutus unedo, Erica arborea, Phoenix canariensis, Phoenix dactylifera, Laurus nobilis, Vachellia flava, Ziziphus spina-christi, Sclerocarya birrea, Ficus salicifolia, Senegalia senegal, Prosopis cineraria, Pinus halepensis, Aerva javanica, Prunus amygdalus, Corylus avellana, Borassus aethiopum, Vitellaria paradoxa, Hyphaene compressa, Afzelia africana, Kigelia africana, Adansonia digitata, and Ziziphus mucronata.

Smaller areas of Isoberlinia woodland occur in more humid portions of the southern ecoregion.

[2] The ecoregion is home to many large mammals, including African bush elephant (Loxodonta africana), West African giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis peralta), giant eland (Taurotragus derbianus derbianus), roan antelope (Hippotragus equinus), African buffalo (Syncerus caffer brachyceros), lion (Panthera leo), leopard (Panthera pardus) cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus), and African wild dog (Lycaon pictus).