Widdringtonia whytei

Cultivation Details

A plant of cool tropical montane areas, mainly within the elevations of 1,830 - 2,550 metres. It is found in areas with abundant precipitation, much of it as fog^[1]. The soils are largely rocky, acidic and shallow except in colluvial pockets in gorges and valleys^[1]. Widdringtonia whytei is an important to co-dominant species in the Afromontane forest on Mt. Mulanje, which also includes Podocarpus milanjianus, Cassipourea malosana, Ekebergia capensis, Olea capensis, Polyscias fulva, Rapanea melanophloeos and Xymalos monospora, and in the more fire-prone ecotone (with ericaceous scrub) to grassland, the closely related species Widdringtonia nodiflora. It is a successional species after fire ('periodic fire climax'), but unlike its congener, it does not coppice from (fire-caused) stumps and has to regenerate from seed (Pauw and Linder 1997). Thickets of Erica benguelensis which develop after fire offer protection for cedar seedlings, leading to W. Whytei becoming the dominant tree until invading angiosperms succeed; however, these have been prevented from doing so by the next fire at a cycle of 100-200 years^[1]. This species is the national tree of Malawi^[2]. Young trees are killed by fire, but older ones may survive mild firesdue to their thick bark^[2]. The tree grows slowly, stands of trees about 50 years old in Malawi had a mean bole diameterof 42cm^[2].