Mpumalanga lies on the high Middleveld, and falls mainly in the grassland biome (with its extensive rolling grasslands). The province's escarpment and lowveld area form a transitional area between the grassland biome and the savanna biome. The hundreds of kilometres of grassland change suddenly into the densely forested ravines and waterfalls of the Escarpment; only to change once again to showcase the subtropical splendour of the Lowveld.
Mpumalanga is home to the second-largest tree in South Africa, a baobab (Adansonia digitata); the tree is found on Glencoe farm in Hoedspruit.
The Barberton daisy (Gerbera jamsonii Adlam) was discovered in the town in 1878. The daisy is indigenous to South Africa and endemic in Mpumalanga and in some areas along the Limpopo river. The Barberton daisy flowers from November to February. It has great value in the cut-flower industry (especially in Europe, the Americas and Japan).
Standerton, in the south, is renowned for its large dairy industry. Piet Retief in the south-east is a production area for tropical fruit and sugar, while a large sugar industry is also found at Malelane in the east. Ermelo is the district in South Africa that produces the most wool.
An abundance of citrus fruit and many other subtropical fruits such as mango, avocado, litchi, banana, papaya, granadilla, guava - as well as nuts and a variety of vegetables are produced here.
Nelspruit is the second-largest citrus producing area in South Africa. It is responsible for one third of the country's export in oranges. The natural forests of the area could not supply enough timber for the mining industry in the early days of gold-mining. Plantations of exotic trees, mainly pine, gum and Australian wattles, were established to supply wood for the mine props. These trees did so well that the Sabie area became the biggest single region of forestry plantations in South Africa..
sabie and Graskop provide a large part of the country's total requirement for forestry products. These forestry planations are an ideal backdrop for ecotourism opportunities, with a variety of popular hiking trails, a myriad of waterfalls, patches of indigenous forest and a variety of nature reserves.
Groblersdal is an important irrigation area which yields a wide variety of products such as citrus fruit, cotton, tobacco, wheat and vegetables.
Carolina-Bethal-Ermelo is sheep area. Potatoes, sunflower seeds, maize and peanuts are also produced in this region.