The Environmental Committee – Steve, Chris and Angela as co-ordinator of the Flora Finders Project were present – finally had the long planned guided walk with Georg von den Bussche on 25 September 2024. Georg is a retired forester who was responsible, among other for the State Forests of Northern Transvaal. He is an expert on our Western Cape tree species and does guided walks and lectures for the Dendrological Society of SA.
The walk was very informative and we will try to do it again – although without Georg – with all EMC members on board and whoever else might want to come. That will be as soon as we receive the thirty tree labels which we ordered today.
We walked and talked for about 3 hours and did not even cover the large areas above Orchid Valley and around Barrington’s. That and also a large area to the right of the main gate can hopefully be done at a later stage.
Angela made a few notes and here is a short summary – and by the way, you can read up on the main species in this estate (incl. gardens) in the little booklet „Plant Indigenous“, which is available from the office. For your own gardening activity you might also want to consult the “List of Recommended Plants for Private Gardens” which you can download here.
Which trees did we find?
To begin with there are the more common trees, like e.g. the many Cape Beeches (Rapanea melanophoes), Star Apple (Diospyros dichrophylla), Glossy Current (Searsia lucida) and other Searsia (formerly Rhus) species which like the Keurboom and Bitou are important pioneer plants.
As for the more interesting trees, we immediately started identifying the first species as we walked down block 6 on „Bayview Path“ and crossed over to „Milkwood Way“. And wow, there are many nice tree species present and we hope that future walkers will enjoy the labels on them! To name just a few trees found here: old big Milkwood – the most magnificent one estimated by Georg to be easily 500 years old – plus a few younger ones; then Candlewood, Thorn Pear, False Saffron, Red Silky Bark, White Stinkwood, many Wild Fuchsia, and Wild Pomegranate, Cheesewood etc. And unfortunately in the more open areas also too many invasive alien species still!!
We then carried on to Bitou Park where we found all the common ones plus some planted trees which are also common in Brackenridge like Waterberry, Cape Ash, Wild Plum, and even a rather uncommon White Pear which was also most probably planted.
The last part of our walk went up „Wildegranaat Loop “, crossing over to Orchid Valley.
We found a dense thicket here with lots of Cape Beeches, Wild Pomegranate/Wilde Granaat, False Saffron, some Candlewood, etc.
On „Forest Way“ down the stream via two bridges we finally discovered two further large Milkwood, a False Ironwood, False Saffron, Buddleja and Cape Beech.
Here is a list with botanical names and national tree numbers of all the trees which we identified. Individual trees representing twenty of these species were tagged; these are indicated by green numbers in the table below. The temporary white tags will soon be replaced with the official green labels of the Dendrological Society of SA.
List of indigenous trees identified at Brackenridge Estate, 25.09.2024
National tree number | Botanical name | Common name | Area found | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
139 | Pittosporum viridiflorum | Cheesewood | in most areas | Excellent tree for insects and birds, fire resistant | |
399.3 | Gymmnosporia | White forest spike thorn | in most areas | ||
398 | Maytenus acuminata | Red Silky Bark | Milkwood Way | ||
409 | Pterocelastrus tricuspidata | Candlewood | Milkwood Way and Forest Way | ||
414 | Cassine peragua | False Saffron | Milkwood Way and Forest Way | In older trees the bark is orange at the bottom of the trunk | |
422 | Apodytes dimidiata | White Pear | Bitou Glade Park | Most probably planted | |
498 | Scolopia zeyheri | Thorn pear / Wolwedoring | Milkwood Way | White blotches on bark, here grows close to 398 Maytenus a. | |
503 | Trimeria grandiflora | Wild Mulberry | in most areas | ||
578 | Rapanea melanophloeos | Cape Beech / Boekenhout | in most areas | very common forest tree, also known as Boekenhout | |
579 | Sideroxylon inerme | Milkwood | Milkwood Way and Forest Way | the large specimen could be about 500 yrs. old! | |
603 | Diospyrus dichrophylla | Star Apple | in most areas | Small green furry fruit | |
636 | Buddleja saligna | False Olive | Milkwood Way and Forest Way and gardens | excellent for coastal conditions | |
688 | Burchellia bubalina | Wild Pomegranate | in most areas | Bright orange flowers in September, October | |
437 | Dodonea viscosa | Sand Olive | in many areas and gardens | Drought and wind resistant shrub to small tree, medicinal properties | |
039 | Celtis africana | White Stinkwood | Milkwood Way and gardens | ||
708 | Canthium inerme | Turkey berry or Bokdrol | Milkwood Way | Opposite pairs of straight spines | |
307 | Lachnostylis hirta | Coalwood | Forest Way | ||
733 | Tarchonanthus littoralis | Wild camphor bush | Forest Way | Great garden tree, wind and drought resistant | |
618 | Olea capensis (subspecies capensis) | False Ironwood | Forest Way | ||
634 | Nuxia floribunda | Forest Elder | Forest Way | ||
099 | Osyris compressa (previously Colpoon) | Tannin bush/Cape sumach | Wildegranaat loop and else | A root parasite, shrub or small tree, fruit bright red to black | |
298 | Ekebergia capensis | Cape Ash | Bitou Glade Park and streets and gardens | ||
361 | Harpephyllum affrum | Wild Plum | Bitou Glade Park and streets and gardens | Eastern Cape, planted. Red plum edible fruit loved by birds | |
507 | Dovyalis afra | Kei Apple | Bitou Glade Park and streets and gardens | Planted? Apricot type edible fruit | |
555 | Syzygium cordatum | Water berry | Bitou Glade Park and streets and gardens | Eastern Cape, planted. Water-loving | |
245 | Erythrina lysistemon + caffra | Coral tree | Bitou Glade Park and streets and gardens | Eastern Cape and subtropical species, planted | |
049 | Ficus burtt-davii | Veld fig | Bitou Glade Park and streets and gardens | Different species, planted. Invasive roots! | |
050 | Ficus sur | Broom cluster fig | |||
365 | Loxostylis alata | Tarwood | Gardens | Beautiful foliage and wind + drought resistant | |
016 | Afrocarpus falcatus | Outeniqua Yellowwood | Streets and gardens | Planted, too big for gardens | |
221 | Virgilia spp | Keurboom | Many areas | Pioneer tree | |
736 | Osteospermum monilifera | Bitou or bush tick berry | Most areas | Pioneer shrub, attractive for birds and bees, semi succulent | |
670 | Halleria lucida | Tree Fuchsia | Most areas | Small tree or large shrub, small red flower | |
637 | Buddleja salvifolia | Sage wood or Wildesalie | Gardens | Tree or large shrub, wind resistent | |
380 | Searsia chirindensis | Red currant | in many areas | ||
388.1 | Searsia lucida | Glossy currant | in many areas | ||