African Violet Habitat in Kenya

Gerard "big bug" Hertel (West Chester University, Pennslyvania, USA) and Kamau Wakanene Mbuthia of the National Museums of Kenya (working on his PhD at the University of Miami-Ohio, USA) have just completed an African violet habitat project in Kenya that was funded by the African Violet Society of America, Inc. They worked in the Mbololo forest located in southeastern Kenya. Mbololo is the largest indigenous forest block left in the Taita Hills, the most northern part of the Eastern Arc Mountains. Looking east from Mbololo you can see Tsavo National Park and look out over the area where the famous Man-Eaters (lions) of Tsavo did their damage during the building of the Kenyan-Ugandan Railway. On a clear day looking northwest you can see Mount Kilimanjaro.

Mbololo is 162 hectares in size. This mountain cloud forest is the only mountain forest in Kenya that contains the African violet. One (Saintpaulia teitensis) of the 22 species of violet occurs here and nowhere else in the world. The terrain is very steep (often + 60 degrees). The ridge of Mbololo runs north and south with the forests on east (wet) and west (drier) facing slopes. Moist clouds hit this ridge as they move inland from the Indian Ocean. The violets grow on cliffs and large rocks free from any plant competition. The violets love the dense shade of the forests and the moisture that the forests capture from the clouds on their behalf.

The results of Mbuthia's and Hertel's work seems to speak well for the violets. Prior surveys indicated only one population of violets in the forests. Eight have now been located and we think more could be found with more intensive surveys. The forests growing around the violets are healthy and in tact with little sign of natural (blow down by wind) or man caused (selective felling of preferred species) disturbances.

The indigenous people, the Taita's, who live around the forest are very poor. Their daily income could be from $0.00 to 0.50! They depend on trees/forests for many things. Fuel wood and water are the most important. Fuel wood can come from trees outside the indigenous forest. The indigenous forest serves as a catchment for water used by most people in the highlands, including the nearby town of Voi. So, people and the violets need the forest.

The west, with its interest in the Afican violet, must help the people protect the forest. Hertel's efforts will now concentrate on how to provide the necessary assistance to the people of Mbololo Forest.

Mbuthia can be contacted at kamau_wakanene@hotmail.com
Hertel can be contacted at dudukubwa@aol.com

August 15, 2002