Mulanje cedar

Malawi’s national tree grows wild on just one mountain – the Mulanje massif – and is now critically endangered.

Widdringtonia whytei is a tall conifer of the cypress family, growing to 40 m, with a straight trunk and scale-like needles. It grows in moist forests in the valleys and ravines of the Mulanje plateau, at about 1,800–2,500 m above sea level. Its fragrant, pinkish wood is light, durable and resistant to termites and fungi, so it was felled on a massive scale for furniture, windows and coffins. Frequent grass fires also kill the trees. As a result of overharvesting, the wild populations have shrunk to remnants, and the species is listed as critically endangered.

Significance in the country

The Mulanje cedar is Malawi’s official national tree and a symbol of the country’s natural heritage. Local nurseries and reforestation programmes on the Mulanje massif are trying to save the species from extinction.

Where it grows

Wild only on the plateau of the Mulanje massif in Mulanje District; a few plantings elsewhere, including on the Zomba plateau.

More: Wikipedia (en)