Kilimanjaro: The Strain That Grows On A Volcano

Kilimanjaro is the African legend named after the tallest mountain on the continent, a plant shaped by ages of steady equatorial sunshine, carried from East Africa all the way to Europe, and wrapped in a famous story about elephants that nobody has ever been able to prove. What's covered in this video: • How traders sailing between India, Arabia, and the Swahili coast brought the plant to East Africa • Why its local name in Swahili points straight back to India • How caravans carried it inland toward the great mountains of Tanzania • Why steady equatorial daylight made the plants of the region tall and lanky • How local families shaped a plant unique to that land over many generations • Why the African plants looked and smelled so different from the plants of Afghanistan • How the mountain's rich volcanic soil and rainfall shaped the region • Why their airy shape helped them survive the long rainy seasons • What a British official in Taveta wrote about the plant at the foot of Kilimanjaro • What another official wrote about Tanganyika, the land that held the mountain • Why the families who kept it never saw it as anything special • How it remained a quiet local tradition for generations • How classic plants from South Africa and Malawi became famous around the world • Why East Africa stayed untouched by collectors for so long • How collectors in Europe began searching for old local varieties before they disappeared • Why nobody knows who brought the Kilimanjaro plant out of Africa • How a company from Valencia, Spain introduced it to Europe • Why it became part of a collection of rare plants from around the world • Why so few plants from Tanzania had ever reached the West • Why its earliest fans on the ICMag forum were so impressed • Why its quick finish surprised collectors • How the elephant flattener legend was born • Why the catalog story made it stand out from every other name on the list • Why the legend kept changing every time it was retold • Why nobody has ever traced the nickname to a real community or ceremony • How the legend gave Kilimanjaro a personality before most people had ever smelled it • Why its home was wrongly described as the Kenyan slopes of the mountain • How a completely unrelated Amsterdam plant with the same name added to the confusion • Why it could stand taller than most people • Why some versions surprised people with thick stems and pyramid shaped clusters • Why its open, airy shape handled humid conditions so well • How its sharp citrus scent became its signature • Why its height surprised so many people • How a major plant database spread the Kenya mistake even further • Why people became tired of modern hybrids that all seemed the same • How Kilimanjaro made its way to America • Why fans in Arizona took notice • How it built a loyal following far from home • Why fans compared it to the most famous plants of southern Africa • Why each of those African legends has a voice of its own • Why the voice of Kilimanjaro is all about citrus • How the record was finally corrected to say Tanzania • What scientists in Tanzania discovered when they studied plants from across the country • Why the plants on the mountain surprised the scientists who studied them • What Kilimanjaro looks like, with long spear shaped clusters and orange hairs • Why its narrow, delicate looking foliage stands out next to wider varieties • Why it carries a frosty shine despite its loose shape • What it smells like, with bright lemon, ripe orange, and fresh fruit • Why the citrus gets even sharper when it is broken open • Why its aroma rides on a clean, piney, almost floral base • What it tastes like, with clean citrus and hints of pepper, tea, and earth • Why its aroma is so unusual compared with modern hybrids • Why fans say its bright aroma reminds them of a fresh morning • Why lovers of old classics keep coming back to it • Why it reminds so many people of the African classics of the past • Why the elephant legend is still the thing people hear about it • Why its true origins on the mountain are still an open question • How Kilimanjaro carries the spirit of East Africa to people who will never see the mountain Mentioned in this video: Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, East Africa, Swahili coast, India, Arabia, Afghanistan, Taveta, Tanganyika, Kenya, South Africa, Malawi, Europe, Valencia, Spain, Amsterdam, ICMag, Arizona, Tempe, Pwani, Arusha, Uhuru Peak, Swaziland From the slopes of Africa's tallest mountain to the far corners of the world, Kilimanjaro remains a classic that keeps an ancient East African tradition alive.