1,700 to 2,300m. (6,000 to 8,000 ft)
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Few environments can match a tropical forest for the richness of its flora
and fauna. Trees, shrubs, vines, creepers, orchids, ferns, fungi, mosses,
wildflowers and lichens abound; mature trees, saplings, and fallen giants can be
viewed at all stages of growth and decay, often growing from one another; the
forest may be surprisingly silent, but networks of paths testify to the presence
of animals - elephant, buffalo, or a variety of other forest game. In a tropical
forest at high elevations like Mount Kenya, a dominant species of tree can
change within a few 100m of altitude. |
| On the east side of the mountain a more humid rainforest exists in which huge
trees such as the Meru Oak (Vitex kiniensis),Giant Camphor (Ocotea usambarensis)
with massive buttressed trunks are common. .Vine-like epiphytes thrive as do
tree ferns and Orchids. In areas of lower temperatures and rainfall which
excludes the Camphor and Oak, the Yellow Wood (Podocarpus milanjianus), a slim
coniferous tree thrives. |
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| Predominant wildflowers are the European Elder (Sambucus Africanus) which
grows up to 2 m. tall, Crotalaria Agatiflora and Lobelia gibberoa. Also growing
in considerable variety with these large plants are the Impatiens Honelii (pink
color), Impatiens Fisheri (scarlet red) and Impatiens Elegantissima with its
unmistakable enormous (white blotched with red) flowers, and the delicate
Balsams which are the most noticeable. |
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Low plants may also be seen: the big yellow flowers flat on the ground
Guizotia reptans (sunfleks), Trifolium johnstonii (clover with mauve to pink
flowers) or the common trailside herb is the Cineraria grandiflora (erect,
yellow composite). The tall mint with balls of orange flowers is one of the
lion's paw mints (Leonotis spp.) |
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Birds include the Hartlaub's Turaco (a treat when it shows a flash of brilliant
red in the wings as it flies from tree to tree); the silver hornbills; the
Jackson's and scaly francolin, olive thrush, mountain buzzard, malachite
sunbird, tacazze sunbird, cinnamon chested bee eater, black saw-winged swallow,
white headed wood hoopoe, montane oriole, Kikuyu whiteeye, fiscal shrike,
Ruppell's robin chat, the dueting hunter's cisticola, green ibis and the
Abbysinian ground thrush.
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Large mammals are difficult to see due to the dense foliage but the forest
remains rich in wildlife: elephant, buffalo, sykes monkey and colobus monkeys,
giant forest hog, bushbuck, bongo, olive baboons, defassa waterbuck, black
fronted duiker, leopard, suni, genet cats, hyrax and eland.
 
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