- Moorland -
Zone 4: Moorland
Altitude: roughly 1,021 to 1,226 meters
MUC Field Guide Classification - 3321 (Subdesert)
At higher altitudes, the region is much drier, getting only about 50 centimeters of rain per year. There is also a greater fluctuation in temperature, with high temperatures during the day, and freezing temperatures at night. This region has several distinct plants, including Giant Lobelia and Senecio trees, which are found nowhere else in the world. The Lobelia, In order to protect the sensitive leaf buds from the night time temperatures, close their leaves around the central core, while secreting a slimy antifreeze-like solution. The Senecio, some more than 200 years old, can reach 5 meters high and use its old dead leaves as insulation around its trunk.
( Lobelia Plants in the Moorland Zone )
( A closer look at the Lobelia Plant which closes at night to prevent freezing )
( Entering the Barranco Valley, Land of the Senecio Trees )
( Mike surrounded by Senecio Trees - 2008 Xpedition )
( Mike and Orbie with a Senecio Tree near Barranco Camp - 2008 Xpedition )
Click on Orbie to learn
more about the Life on Kilimanjaro