Elgon Teak
Kenya - Eastern Africa
The Planting of Paul's Elgon Teak Tree in Bungoma
Planted by Benmak Wandera
After post-doctoral malaria research Paul volunteered to join Ace-Africa in Bungoma to help their W.H.O. WASH programme and then stayed longer. He personally seed-funded a sugar plantation, set up a school chicken farm and worked with orphaned street kids. ( as well as playing football with the local team of course!)
Olea welwitschii, the Elgon teak, is a species of tree in the family Oleaceae. It ranges across parts of subsaharan Africa, from Cameroon in the west to Ethiopia and Kenya in the east, and south to Angola, Zambia, and Mozambique. It is a forest species, ranging from lowland tropical rainforests to evergreen montane forests. Olea welwitschii is evergreen, and can grow up to 35 meters in height. It is used locally and commercially for timber. Olea welwitschii is sometimes classified as a subspecies of Olea capensis. The species is named for botanist Friedrich Welwitsch.
