The Fever Tree

Fever tree, Vachellia xanthophloea

Other names: Mgunga (Swahili), Ol-lerai (Maasai), Murera (Kikuyu)

You can recognise Fever trees by their greenish yellow bark. They usually grow around lakes and rivers and in swampy places. In fact, they got the name ‘fever tree’ because people visiting swampy areas often got sick and thought the trees were the cause. We now know that it is the mosquitoes in swampy areas that cause disease. The trees are innocent!  Not only do fever trees not cause fever, an extract from their bark is actually a traditional cure for malaria.

The bark of the Fever tree looks green because it contains chlorophyll, the same green pigment found in leaves. The bark helps the leaves in their job of capturing sunlight and making food. This is called bark photosynthesis. For trees growing in areas with grazing animals, bark photosynthesis helps them survive when animals eat their leaves. Other trees in Kenya that use bark photosynthesis in include Candelabra trees, Myrrh trees and some of the other Acacia species.