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Brachylaena huillensis
Also called Silver Oak, Lowveld Brachylaena, Lowveld Silverleaf, Muhuhu
Brachylaena huillensis, known as muhuhu or Lowveld Silver Oak, is a large forest tree in the daisy family that can reach about 40 m and is among the tallest composites. It is grown mainly for its very hard wood and as a source of charcoal rather than as an ornamental, and it occurs in montane forests across southern and eastern Africa.
Brachylaena huillensis, the muhuhu, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is found in the montane forests of Angola, Kenya, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zimbabwe. With a height of up to 40 m (130 ft) it is, with Strobocalyx arborea, a candidate for the tallest of all composites (daisy family), and at up to 60 cm (24 in) trunk diameter also the most massive.
The tree has a very hard wood, which makes it ideal for processing into charcoal; it was Kenya's main source of fuel until the 1830s. It is still a popular fuel source, and in some areas it is threatened by overexploitation. This has led to concern from conservationists over habitat loss for endemic animal species living in Brachylaena cloud forests.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Brachylaena huillensis by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
