Flowers and Giant Ferns Around Kilimanjaro

The Everything Grows tropical plant expedition was pretty overwhelmed by the sheer quantity and diversity of plants in the African rain forest at the base of Mt. Kilimanjaro!
Below are photos of two flowers that are found only in this particular forest, and below that are two photos of giant ferns that were at least 30-40 feet tall.  It was hard to photograph many of the plants because everything was so overgrown and dense that you could not isolate a particular plant. 

The flower above is the Impatiens kilimanjarii is also known as the elephant’s trunk flower because of its shape.  It is a tiny flower unique to the area, but it was easy to spot because if is one of the few things in the rain forest that is not a shade of green.  

The Mountain gladiolus above is also unique to Kilimanjaro

We finally came across a giant fern (above) that was easy to photograph.  This is a small specimen though -- see the larger ones below.

All of the not-so-straight trunks are giant ferns -- easily 30-40 feet tall but still growing below the forest canopy.

Baobab Trees in Northern Tanzania

The Everything Grows tropical plant expedition came across the Baobab Tree in Northern Tanzania and it is very impressive because it is so massive and dramatic on the open plain. The trunks grow over 30 feet in diameter and the tree can store 26,000 gallons of water to get through droughts.  They live for over 1000 years.  This is not exactly a plant that we can place in our customer's workplace, but it is certainly fun to talk about!  The second photo below has a giraffe next to the tree to give you an idea of the scale of the trees.

 Baobab tree during the wet season.  They lose their leaves during the dry season to conserve water.  They are sometimes called the upside down tree because when they lose there leaves the small branches at the top of the tree in proportion to the large trunks make it look like a root system dangling in the air.

The giraffe next to the baobab tree is a full grown adult and gives you an idea how big these trees are.

Protea Kilimanjaro

The Everything Grows tropical plant expedition came across the Protea Kilimanjaro flower    in the region/altitude around Mount Kilimanjaro called the moorlands between 9,200 and 13,100 feet elevation.  There are many varieties of Protea in Africa, including the King Protea which is the national flower of South Africa, but the Protea Kilimanjaro is unique to this area.  Here are some photos of this beautiful Protea:

Let Everything Grows Take You to the Top!

The Everything Grows Management Team was recently in Africa seeking new and exciting tropical plant varieties to bring to our customers' workspace.  While in Northern Tanzania we took a detour and successfully made it to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro which is 19,341 feet tall.  It was a very challenging and rewarding climb and we saw many unique and unusual plants along the way in the rain forest and then the moorlands on the mountain.  Future posts will show some of the plants that we found.  In the meantime, let Everything Grows help take your company to the top with high grade live tropical plants and guaranteed plant care service to improve your work environment and help make your employees happier and more productive.