Maesa lanceolata, Maytenus acuminata, Myrianthus holstii, and Neoboutonia macrocalyx. Schefflera goetzenii is a common creeping vine. At 2600 meters elevation, the upper montane forests transition to a belt of bamboo covering about 866 hectares, and heathland between 2600 to 2800 meters elevation. The heathland includes species of Erica, Protea, and Aloe, with Hagenia abyssinica, Agarista salicifolia, Catha edulis, Hypericum revolutum, and Maesa lanceolata. The mountaintop is bushed grassland, covering about 300 ha. High-elevation herbs include bracken, Buchnera rungwensis, and Valeriana capensis. Two amphibians (Phrynobatrachus rungwensis and Probreviceps rungwensis) are named after Mount Rungwe where they were first collected. A genus of monkey, Rungwecebus was named for the mountain in 2005. It was initially thought to be a type of mangabey from the genus Lophocebus, until more detailed genetic analysis showed its closer connection to baboons. Rungwecebus lives on Mt. Rungwe, in the adjacent Livingstone Forest Reserve in the Kipengere Range, and with a disjunct population in the Udzungwa Mountains 250 miles to the east. The Rungwe dwarf galago, a newly-identified primate species in the genus Galagoides, is found on Mt. Rungwe and nearby portions of the Poroto and Kipengere mountains. It inhabits montane evergreen and bamboo forests. Mount Rungwe Nature Forest Reserve Much of the mountain (13,652.1 ha) was listed as a Catchment Forest in 1949. In 2009 the reserve was upgraded to a Nature Forest Reserve to improve its conservation. References Tanzania National Website Birdlife.org: Factsheet Southern Highlands Conservation Programme Geography of Mbeya Region Inactive volcanoes Southern Highlands, Tanzania Southern Rift montane forest–grassland mosaic Volcanoes of Tanzania Important Bird Areas of Tanzania