Kenya Vegetation

Kenya's beautiful scenery comprises no less than 19 distinct floral habitats, ranging from desert and semi-desert to high-altitude cloud forests.

The most prevalent vegetation in Kenya is woodland covered with scrub and thorn trees. This habitat covers more than 40% of Kenya's landscape and its dominant genus is acacia, of which there are 40 species. It stretches from the Tsavo parks in the north to the Amboseli in the south.

There are at least four kinds of forests in Kenya. The highlands on Mt Kenya, Mt Elgon, the Mau and the Aberdares support both moist and dry forests (according to rainfall), while the Kakamega Forest in the west is a small remaining part of the enormous equatorial rainforest that once covered central Africa.

Coastal forests also occur in Kenya, featuring the ubiquitous Brachystegia and the occasional patch of coastal palms on the Tana and Ramisi rivers.

Kenya also has an excellent range of wetland habitats. The Rift Valley contains many alkaline lakes that are home to microscopic plants, while its freshwater lakes support papyrus swamps.

Eight different kinds of mangrove inhabit the country's mangrove swamps.

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