On the inactive volcano Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, there are many “unique” tree species with extremely strange shapes.
Kilimanjaro is a dormant volcano in Tanzania. This is the highest mountain in Africa and the highest independent mountain in the world: 5895 m above sea level. Kilimanjaro is part of Kilimanjaro National Park and is a very famous climbing destination in the world.
As the highest mountain in Africa, Kilimanjaro has a very special climate, so this place has many rare “mutant” plants that are found almost nowhere else on earth.
One of the most prominent tree species among them is called Dendrosenecio kilimanjari. This strange plant resembles a cross between a cactus and a pineapple. However, Dendrosenecio kilimanjari is classified as a flowering plant in the daisy family.
To survive on such high mountain terrain with super cold temperatures at night, trees have evolved to store water in their trunks and their leaves shrink when the temperature drops.
This plant grows up to 10 m tall, it forms a wooden stem (about 40 cm in diameter) with large rosette-shaped leaves on top. These stems branch after flowering and over time grow similar to giant candles.
Natural forest covers about 1000 km2 on Kilimanjaro of which Dendrosenecio kilimanjari grows in wet moorland at altitudes of 2700 – 3350 m and is found only on Mount Kilimanjaro.
Mount Kilimanjaro began forming about 3 million years ago and the last major eruptions took place about 350,000 years ago.
