Massive, long-lived trees discovered in the Tanzanian rainforest are a new species
A team of botanists with members from Muse–Museo delle Scienze, Udzungwa Corridor LTD, Via Grazia Deledda and the National Museum of Kenya has discovered a new species of tree growing in the mountainous rain forests of Tanzania. In their paper in the journal Phytotaxa, the group describes how and where the tree was found and its characteristics.
Tanzania is a country located on the southeastern coast of Africa and belongs to the African Great Lakes region. The Udzungwa Mountains, part of the Eastern Arc Mountain Chain, are home to many wildlife preserves.
Members of the team were hiking in the Uluti Village and the Boma la Mzinga Forest Reserves when they came upon a large tree back in 2019 that none of them recognized. Its flowers had thin white petals with tiny yellow bulbs on the tips. Intrigued by their find, they took pictures and collected leaf samples for study back in their lab.
They have been able to confirm that the tree is a species that has not been recognized by the scientific community. The team named it Tessmannia princeps. In addition to its massive girth, the tree grows a little taller than others around it in the rainforest, which is why the team gave it the name "princeps"—a Latin word meaning "most eminent."
More recently, team members returned to the site and found approximately 100 of the trees, one of which had fallen due to natural causes. That allowed them to collect wood samples for testing.
The results showed that some of the newly discovered trees could be up to 3,000 years old. They are also slow growing, taking up to 15 years to add 1 centimeter of girth.
The researchers note that there are many scarce species of plants and animals found only in the Udzungwa Mountains and Udzungwa's Mngeta Valley. Because of that, the entire area has been designated a national park, which means trees cannot be cut down or harmed. That is good news for Tessmannia princeps, the team notes, because its slow-growing nature and low numbers mean it could very well disappear if disturbed by human activities.
More information: Andrea Bianchi et al, Tessmannia princeps (Fabaceae), a new rainforest tree from the Udzungwa Mountains, Tanzania, Phytotaxa (2025).
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