Tree Route

Protected trees at Marulani include:

The marula (Sclerocarya birrea) fruit is normally ripe in February and is rich in Vitamin C. It is used to brew a pleasant beer.  A few marulas can be found approximately 7 kilometers from the main gate along the tree route.

The violet tree (Securidaca longepedunculata, krinkhout) is a relatively large tree with strange yellowish bark. It is threatened because of its medicinal properties as it contains wintergreen oil (methyl salicylate). There are only about a dozen of these trees on Marulani

There are only a few shepherd’s trees (Boscia albitrunca, witgat) on Marulani. It has medicinal uses and the roots have food and beverage (as a coffee) uses.

Some people would call the many ordinary trees on the farm common Bushveld trees. However, an indigenous tree which adds to the aesthetic appearance, the beauty and the ecological sustainability of a certain environment or area, should never be called common. Each tree has a specific role to play in terms of being a host for certain insects, a nesting place for birds and lizards and to supply shade to the ground below. Many studies have shown that trees keep the temperature down.

Deciduous trees

In winter many of the trees lose their leaves. The three most often occurring deciduous trees on Marulani are probably the wild-seringa (Burkea africana, wildesering), the silver cluster (Terminalia sericea, vaalboom) and the peeling plane (Ochna pulchra, lekkerbreek). The latter has beautiful flowers and bright green leaves in spring. Also quite conspicuous at that time of the year are the beautiful pale cream flowers of the wild pear (Dombyea rotundifolia, wilde peer).

Evergreen trees

The three most regularly occurring are stemfruit (Englerophytum magalismontanum, stamvrug), spine-leaved monkey-orange (Strychnos pungens, stekelblaarklapper) and the willow beechwood (Faurea saligna, boekenhout).

Tall Tree

Acacia robusta.

Small Trees

Acacia caffra, Burkea Africana, Combretum apiculatum, Croton gratissimus, Cussonia transvaalensis, F aurea saligna, Heteropyxis natalensis, Ochna pulchra, Protea caffra, Albizia tanganyicensis, Combretum molle, Englerophytum magalismontanum, Ficus burkei,Ficus glumosa, Ochna pretoriensis, Pseudolachnostylis maprouneifolia, Rhus lancea, Terminalia.

Tall Shrubs  

Diplorhynchus condylocarpon, Elephantorrhiza burkei, Combretum moggii, C. Nelsonii, Dichrostachys cinerea, Euclea crispa, Gindia kraussiana, Olea capensis, O. Europaea, Rhus pyroides, Strychnos pungens, Vitex rehmannii