Description: Dioecious, tall tree, 20--60 m. Leaves narrowly lanceolate to linear-elliptic, twisted at base, 20--40 2--6 mm. Seeds borne on scaly or leafy stalks, yellow to brown, without a fleshy arillode.
Likely ID: Cedarberg Cedar (Widdringtonia cedarbergensis)
Identifications: 1
Agreements: 3
Comments: 0
Description: Presumably this is a plantation and not a natural stand. the plants to the north are decidedly stunted and those on the south had some fire deaths. Presumably the firebelt is to keep out fires: so much for a natural system (and "wilderness management"). Too much management will do more harm than letting nature take its course ...
Description: end of Kirstenbosch Centenary Walk lead by Dirk Muller.
Last of the old Stone Pines. Planted 100 years ago and now reaching senility. Will probably have to be removed as too dangerous within the next few years as more and more branches die off.
Description: A really scary sight. The entire understory of this indigenous forest is utterly overtaken by a dense stand of the alien invasive Outeniqua Yellowwood. (The overstory is alien Poplar) This is a disaster in the making: the indigenous forest will be entire wiped out by this invader over the next 20, 200, 2000 years. Something needs to be done now.
The seeds are being brought in by bats and the source trees need to be found and removed. All female trees of this species within 500m of the National Park should be removed and replaced.
Likely ID: Clanwilliam Cedar (Widdringtonia cedarbergensis)
Identifications: 1
Agreements: 2
Comments: 1
Description: Grootland Flats - one of the most pictureskew vlaktes in the Cedarberg: a flat sand plain, with 3 isolated Cedar trees in the centre (lots on the rocky outcrops around).
These are visible from all sorts of places around if you know what to look for ...
Description: Tokai Plantation: home to the first trail plantations in South Africa.
And now, after 100 years the biocontrols are "invading": an impressive list of fungi and insects are rendering this the possible last commercially viable crop of this species in the Western Cape.
In the far distance are two blocks cut down and discarded in situ at 3 years after being found with Pine Blight.
The foremost block is due to be harvested within a few months (of the observation: is now harvested)
Description: Cracked and fallen apart: down but not out!
Still going strong: well almost - the schoolkids enjoyed this so much that they started killing the bark by wandering all over it, hence the enclosure.
Description: Growing in sandstone crevice. Stem longitudinally fissured, flakes in strips. Branchlets angular. Leaves spirally crowded towards branchlet ends; held erect to horizontal, tip abruptly tapered, thick, leathery. Cones solitary in leaf axils.
Description: This patch burned down in the fire.
Elsewhere the removal of the alien deer has resulted in massive recruitment: 100s of plants per m2, where for over 100 years people had assumed that this species was not invasive on Table Mountain.
Description: This is a tree planted in the arboretum at the Van Stadens Wild Flower Reserve near Port Elizabeth. We don't know its origin and can't decide between W. schwartzii and W.cedarbergensis. The trees are approx 10m tall
Likely ID: Mountain Cedar (Widdringtonia nodiflora)
Identifications: 1
Agreements: 6
Comments: 2
Description: Monoecious shrub or tree to 10 m (to 50 m in tropics). Adult leaves scale-like, narrowly oblong, keeled, adpressed. Female cones with smooth to wrinkled valves. Rocky sandstone and clay slopes,
Description: The first and oldest pine plantations in South Africa, centered on the Tokai Arboretum.
Currently, riddled with diseases and the most infected stands in southern Africa.
Due to be removed by 2024 and restored to Fynbos by SANParks.
Description: Although this looks like a pine plantation and was (and still is in blocks - for 3 cycles or over 100 years!) the Fynbos seed banks are still present and the Fynbos regenerates spectacularly when the pines are removed and the area burned.
This corridor is to link the last bit of Critically Endangered Cape Flats Sand Fynbos with the mountains and so maintain predator, pollination and large animal links to the Critically Endangered veld type.
Description: Not sure if this area was ever planted, but following the 2000 fire the area is slowly being cleared of the pines that are there and the Fynbos (and alien Wattles) is returning.
Description: There are hundreds of young trees growing thick and fast on lower roads of Cecilia Forest. I'm not sure if someone planted them to replace the gum and pine that is being removed.
Description: Dioecious, tall tree, 20--60 m. Leaves narrowly lanceolate to linear-elliptic, twisted at base, 20--40 2--6 mm. Seeds borne on scaly or leafy stalks, yellow to brown, without a fleshy arillode.
