Yellow-barked acacia (Xanthophloea), which I have grown since 2014, is one of the most useful trees in Kenya today.
I have nearly 3,000 of them. The name ‘’xanthophloea’’ means “yellow bark” and refers to the yellow-green bark of the tree.
It is native to Africa. The first Europeans to travel to the continent also called it ‘Fever tree’ because they wrongly believed that it caused malaria.
The tree often grows in swampy areas or near water, which is breeding ground for the fever-carrying mosquitos. This made the Europeans to introduce another tree, the blue gum, to drain the swamps.
They called it the anti-fever tree. The acacia is so resilient that it can grow almost anywhere with minimal care.
Plant it in a swamp and it will take to life like a fish to water. Dry soils with little or no water? No problem, it will survive. Read more>>
