Vegetation on Kilimanjaro

Kilimanjaro has a high diversity of habitats varying with aspect and altitude. As the mountain is located close to the equator there is a lot of sunlight and vegetation is prolific. There are two main factors which affect the vegetation on Mount Kilimanjaro, the altitude and climate.

There are two wet seasons, the short or 'mango' rains from November to December and the long rains from March to May. The driest time is from August to October. Precipitation is inversely proportional to altitude. Mean precipitation is 230cm in the rain forest (up to 1,830m), 130cm at the upper forest edge (2,740m), 52.5cm at Horombo hut in the heath zone (3,718m), and less than 20cm at Kibo hut (4,630m), creating alpine desert conditions.

Winds are mainly from the south-east, and consequently the north slopes experience much less rainfall. The major types of vegetation found on Mount Kilimanjaro can be roughly described as: montane forest, moorland, upland moor, alpine bogs, and alpine desert (Greenway, 1965). Currently not all the montane forest is in the national park and much has been damaged by cultivation.

Above about 4,600m, very few plants are able to survive the severe conditions, although examples of Helichrysum newii have been found as high as 5,760m (close to a fumarole) and lichens are found right up to the summit. The upland moor consists mainly of heathers and scrub plants, with Erica arborea, Philippia trimera, Adenocarpus mannii, Protea kilimandscharica, Stoebe kilimandscharica, Myrica meyeri-johannis, and Myrsine africana. Grasses are abundant and Cyperaceae form the dominant ground cover in moist hollows. Flatter areas of heathland between the forest and the moor are covered by Agrostis producta, Koeleria gracilis, Deschampsia sp., and Exotheca abyssinica, with occasional bushes of Adenocarpus mannii and Kotschya recurvifolia. Various examples of the genus Helichrysum are found in the grasslands and two forms of giant groundsel occur on Mount Kilimanjaro, Senecio johnstonii cottonii, (endemic to the mountain and only occurs above 3600m, and S. johnstonii johnstonii which occurs between 2,450m and 4,000m. At all altitudes groundsel does best in moist, more sheltered locations. In the alpine bogs it is associated with another highly conspicuous plant, the endemic giant lobelia Lobelia deckenii.

The southern slopes (Machame side) are dominated by Podocarpus spp. and camphorwood Ocotea usambarensis with an understorey of ferns, including tree ferns Cyathea spp. and the long-spiked Lobelia gibberoa, Agauria salicifolia, and Macaranga kilimanjarica. On the Mweka route there is Podocarpus latifolius, and Croton macrostachys. The rain forest stops at about 3000m. The drier northern slopes are dominated by cedar Juniperus procera and olives Olea sp. Around the villages there are corn and banana farms with coffee (under the banana trees for shade).

At the other extreme the last flower to usually be found is the yellow Asteraceae, found in alpine region between 4300m and 4700m. After the grass and moss has been left behind then the rocks are covered in lichens particularly on the sides which are exposed to mist.

For further information please Contact Us.