Unique plants in Kenya
Unique plants in Kenya : Kenya, located in the center of East Africa, presents tourists with an exquisite array of natural marvels. Its diverse landscapes include the scorching deserts of the Chalbi and Nyiri deserts, as well as the famous African savannah, afro-alpine “sky-islands,” and densely vegetated rainforests. Visitors on a safari in Kenya can enjoy no fewer than 60 national parks and reserves! Kenya is a glittering diamond in Africa’s natural crown, home to an incredible variety of rare flora and creatures. Photographers and wildlife enthusiasts alike flock to the world-famous Maasai Mara.
In addition to its famous acacias and majestic baobabs, Kenya’s floral kingdom is home to a wide variety of lesser-known but as fascinating species that add to the remarkable botanical diversity of the nation. Let’s examine some of the intriguing plant species found in Kenya:
Interesting and unique plants in Kenya:
1. Whistling Thorn Acacia (Vachellia drepanolobium)
This tree, found primarily in the savannahs of East Africa, isn’t just any old acacia* tree! It offers a fantastic example of coexistence or mutualism. The tree belongs to the group of species known as myrmecophytes, which coexist symbiotically with ants.
2. Flame Lily (Gloriosa superba)
This breathtakingly gorgeous perennial climbing lily is aptly titled because it is truly magnificent and excellent! It’s characterised by the brilliantly coloured red or yellow flower tepals that curve backwards and do look very much like flames. It grows in various habitats, including tropical jungle, thickets, woodland, and grassland. It’s probably pollinated by sunbirds and butterflies with the shape of the flowers suggesting butterflies as the main pollinator. Flame lilies is a unique plant that can grow in nutrient-poor soils and sand dunes, and can occur at elevations as high as 2,500 metres or well over 8,000 feet.
3. Kenya’s Giant Groundsel (Dendrosenecio keniodendron)
Kenya’s native giant groundsels, which grow on the majestic peaks of Mount Kenya and the Aberdare Mountains, are both amazing and a little strange. These huge plants have large, prolific, evergreen rosette-shaped collections of leaves at the top of thick, woody stems, and can stand as tall as eight metres or 26 feet.
About once in ten years, they produce bright yellow flowers on a single flower spike that can be over two metres or six feet tall. The flowers are mostly wind-pollinated, and each flowering episode is followed by new forks forming in the stem.
This branching suggests that the plants only flower about four times during their lifetimes. At these frigid altitudes, the plants protect themselves against freezing by closing their leaves at night, and then opening them again when it warms up during the day.
4. Impala Lily (Adenium multiflorum)
The impala lily, sometimes called Adenium obesum, is a tiny succulent tree or shrub with a thick trunk that stores water. It is a rare plant in Kenya that may grow up to three meters (10 feet) tall and has a deadly white latex that includes glycosides and cardioactive steroids.
5. Sausage Tree (Kigelia africana)
The sausage tree, which is common in Kenya and other parts of sub-Saharan Africa, gets its name from the enormous, gray sausage-like fruit that hangs from the tree. When the tree is in bloom, it provides a feast for both animals and birds. Additionally, the panicles of dark-red blooms that adorn it look amazing. Numerous bird species, insects, and the dwarf epauletted fruit bat are among its pollinators.
Because its fruit, leaves, and bark are thought to have therapeutic qualities and be beneficial for skincare, the sausage tree is utilized in Kenyan traditional medicine. The tree is used to manufacture dye, brew beer, and perform rites and rituals. The huge roots and trunks of sausage trees are frequently used to make mekoros, or dug-out canoes.
