Mazumbai – Lushoto
On our way out of MFR we stopped to see the buttresses of an E. excelsior that were rumoured to be extraordinarily long. They exceeded all expectations, reasonable and unreasonable alike. Not even our machete-sage knew why they were so long. We said goodbye to our friendly host and guide and struck out for Lushoto. The deforestation in the lowlands that Mr. Kiparu had mentioned and we knew to expect was more extensive than I imagined. All the land was either under cultivation or in fallow. We were able to identify some crops, including coffee (Coffea arabica), sugar cane (Saccharum sp.), banana (Musa spp.), tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), and cassava (Manihot esculenta). Most of the area between Mazumbai and Soni was under agricultural production.
At our next stop we observed a symbiosis between an Albicia sp. and a hemi-parasitic mistletoe from the family Loranthaceae. From our vantage point we could also identify Lantana camara, Solanum sp. and C. arabica, as well as plantations of Gravellia sp. and Eucalyptus sp. on the hillsides. Our hotel in Lushoto was beautifully landscaped and my room was spacious and breezy, which made it easier to handle our first experience with water shortage. I ended my day with a sundowner in a little pub decorated with foreign currency (including CND$18.00!).
Why so much science? What is this?
At our next stop we observed a symbiosis between an Albicia sp. and a hemi-parasitic mistletoe from the family Loranthaceae. From our vantage point we could also identify Lantana camara, Solanum sp. and C. arabica, as well as plantations of Gravellia sp. and Eucalyptus sp. on the hillsides. Our hotel in Lushoto was beautifully landscaped and my room was spacious and breezy, which made it easier to handle our first experience with water shortage. I ended my day with a sundowner in a little pub decorated with foreign currency (including CND$18.00!).
Why so much science? What is this?
