Provincial Heritage Site
VIEWING BY APPOINTMENT ONLY
Travelling directions: AllSaints Road to Swellendam. About 5km, indication sign as ‘Rhenosterfontein Farm’. Gravel road to house.
Situated on a portion of the Remainder of the farm Rhenosterfontein 163, district Breasdorp, this milkwood has been awarded Provincial Heritage Site status on 17.12.1993 in recognition of its impressive size and age: the trunk has a girth of over 3 meters and the crown a spread of over 20 meters. It is well over 1000 years old.
Traditionally, the milkwood has a number of medicinal uses: the roots are roasted and made into a powder and mixed with the seed of Trichilia emetica. From this a paste is made which is used to aid the healing of fractured bones. An infusion of its bark is said to dispel nightmares and such an infusion can also be used as an astringent.
Milkwoods make beautiful shade trees and they withstand tough, windy coastal conditions. Its initial growth can be slow, but once well rooted, it develops relatively quickly. Milkwoods are protected inSouth Africaand no part of the tree may be cut without a permit from the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry.
Three other milkwood trees that have been awarded National Monument status are:
- Post Office Tree of Mosselbay
- Treaty Tree ofWoodstock[Cape Town]
- Fingo Milkwood Tree near Peddie,Eastern Cape
White Milkwood – Sideroxylon inerme
A characteristic feature of the Southern Overberg, the milkwood is a low-growing, evergreen tree. It is rarely found with a straight trunk; instead, its gnarled, sprawling branches often create impenetrable thickets that are home to a variety of wild life. Although also occurring inland, milkwoods are found mainly along the coast from theCapePeninsulato northernZululand.
The small, yellowy-green flowers have an unusual sour-smell (Jan-July). The edible, juicy, black fruit (July-Jan) are enjoyed by birds and baboons. The milky latex which gives the tree its common name makes the leaves and the bark unpalatable to grazing animals. The wood is very hard, heavy and strong. In the past, it was used for ship building, bridges, mills and ploughs. It is very durable even when wet and it shrinks little with drying. In days gone by, the site of a farmyard was often determined by the presence of a milkwood. Their dense, umbrella-shaped crowns created a perfect “roof” for the meat chests that pre-dated refrigerators.
Declared Provincial Heritage Site on 17 December 1993
SARHA File Reference: 9/2/013/0024
Contact Information:
Mr Robert Blom at +27 (0) 28 452 2232.