The Yellow Fever Tree

I have shared about some of the animals and people that we encountered during our time in Gorongosa National Park in Mozambique.  However, I must also share about a very important part of this park—the very diverse landscape.  As we drove from one area to another, the terrain changed.  There were amazing trees and shrubs that I have never seen before.

One tree dominated certain areas that we passed through.  You couldn’t miss them.  Their yellow trunks and branches made them stand out from the others.  The tree is the Yellow Fever Tree.  What a strange name!  Our guides told us that the early explorers and settlers noticed that people who slept under one of these trees were more likely to get malaria.  What they didn’t understand was that these trees grew in damp area where mosquitoes thrived and of course, we now know that they were the cause of the fever.  However, the name stuck.

I learned that these vibrant yellow trees do not actually have yellow bark even though it appears that way.  The yellow is actually a fine dust that covers the green bark.  This green bark helps with photosynthesis.  The tree’s leaves provide food for elephants while the pods are enjoyed by monkeys.  The powdered roots and stem bark are now used as an anti-malarial medication. 

When the sun hits these unique trees, they seem to glow.