At a Glance
There are many cola trees that live in tropical areas throughout Africa, but the Kimboza Cola only lives in the Kimboza Forest Reserve in the Uluguru Mountains, which make up part of Tanzania’s Eastern Arc Mountains, a biodiversity hotspot. The patch of lowland evergreen forest where the Kimboza Cola grows sits atop ancient karst formations that date back to the Jurassic Era.
The small tree, which only reaches between four and seven meters tall (12 and 22 feet), only grows within a very narrow elevation between 200 and 400 meters (650 feet-1300 feet) above sea level. The cream-colored flowers of the tree bloom in November, but scientists are still learning about the tree. Kimboza Cola is so rare that its fruit was not photographed or scientifically described until 2019.
The biggest threats to the Kimboza Cola are forest clearing for farmland, pole-cutting (local communities cut small-diameter trees to use as construction poles), logging, charcoal production, fires and destruction of the limestone karst for building materials. A non-native tree species has also spread widely through the Kimboza Forest Reserve since it was introduced during the 1970s, but scientists are not sure if it negatively affects the Kimboza Cola.
Scientists estimate that the population of Kimboza Cola has decreased by two-thirds since the early 1900s. Local communities patrol the Kimboza Forest Reserve to prevent fires and illegal logging.
At a glance
Taxa
Plants
Geography
Tanzania
Status
Critically Endangered
Habitat
Montane tropical forest
Estimated Population
Unknown
Threats
Habitat loss; logging; fires
Potential Recovery Actions
Law enforcement; habitat protection; nursery development and outplanting
