Page 21 - Landscape SA 104

ENVIRONMENTAL FEATURE

Photo by Maria Cabaco Photo by Wendy Carstens
One of the two Ficus ingens framing The Cave on the The roots and new bronze leaves of the
Heritage Day Hike at MK West. Red-leaved Rock Fig (Ficus ingens) on
Melville Koppies West at The Cave.

Ficus ingens
The Red-leaved Rock Fig has two growth habits, and at the
Koppies it grows into a scrambler with crooked branches and
roots clinging to rock outcrops. The initial glossy flush of leaves is
brassy red and makes a stunning display. The small pinkish figs are
actually inverted flowers which are pollinated by small wasps...
each fig has a different species of wasp pollinator. This fig can
grow into a large tree in warmer areas. In the garden, do not plant Photo by Wendy Carstens
these figs near infrastructure because they have an aggressive Amelia Scheidegger climbing through the
root structure. ‘Narnia Gap’ of quartzite rocks on MK East,
framed by magnificent smooth grey Ficus roots.

Photo by Carol Knoll Photo by Carol Knoll
The Wild Peach has a delicate appearance The orange seeds are favoured by birds and they are popular garden trees.
with pale and slightly darker green fruit and
leaves. Here it is growing in a shady area at
Melville Koppies.

Kiggelaria africana
The Wild Peach has attractive fruit that splits open in a star shape, revealing the seeds covered
in a bright orange sticky coating which is known as an aril, and is favoured by birds. The
Garden Acraea (see earlier photograph) butterfly lays a cluster of grey eggs on the underside
of the leaves which serve as its larval host. The larvae can strip the leaves from the branches
when they emerge. The faecal deposits of the butterfly larvae fall to the soil below the tree,
acting as fertiliser and resulting in another rapid flush of foliage.

Landscape SA • Issue 104 2021 19