Fever tree

An acacia with glowing yellow-green bark lines the shores of the Rift Valley lakes – early travellers blamed it for the fever spread by mosquitoes.

A tree of the legume family, growing to 15–25 m, with distinctive smooth, yellow-green bark that looks as if dusted with powder and carries out photosynthesis. Its branches are armed with pairs of straight white thorns, and its small, bipinnate leaves form a light, airy crown. It bears round, golden heads of fragrant flowers. It grows where the water table is shallow – by lakes and rivers and on swampy plains in East and southern Africa.

Significance in the country

Fever tree forests are one of the most characteristic sights in Kenya’s parks around lakes Nakuru, Naivasha and Baringo, and in Amboseli. The name dates from the days when European travellers who fell ill with malaria nearby believed the tree caused the fever – although the real culprits were mosquitoes from the surrounding wetlands.

Where it grows

On the shores of the Rift Valley lakes – Nakuru, Naivasha, Elmenteita and Baringo – and on the swampy plains of Amboseli at the foot of Kilimanjaro.

More: Wikipedia (en)