TThe common terrain is a weed factory often observed on waste and roads, reaching about 40 cm (16 inches) in height. But on the mountains in East Africa, the parents on the ground can reach 9 meters (30 feet) in height. One of these giant Grouards is Dendrosnecio KilimanjariWho only grows on Mount Kilimandjaro in Tanzania and looks like something from another world – a woody trunk that can be branched like a candelabra, germinating a large inflorescence at the top of each branch.
Other species of dendrodencecio develop on other mountains, all superbly adapted to the hard environments of the highlands where temperatures can dive as low as -20c (-4F) in biting winds. Their thick stems are isolated by jackets of dead and withered leaves, they use an antifreeze agent to prevent the formation of ice in their fabrics, and at night their “sleeping” leaves, withdrawing to help keep the plant warm. Precipitation can be rare and giant servers store water in the marrow of their stems. Due to their Spartan existence, they can develop extremely slowly.
