Common name Australian Banyan
Located on the eastern slopes of Table Mountain in the Western Cape, driving along Rhodes Drive take the UCT off-ramp and proceed to the upper campus. This delightful specimen has established a foothold in the UCT Educare Center, vigilantly minding the children at play.
Originating from the eastern shores of Australia here stands a true Champion, Moreton Bay Fig or Australian banyan (Moraceae: Ficus macrophylla). Its common name is derived from Moreton Bay in Queensland, Australia, a strangler fig by nature, with seed germination usually taking place in the canopy of a host tree and the seedling lives as an epiphyte until its roots establish contact with the ground. Enlarging, then strangling its host, eventually becoming a freestanding tree.
We owe a debt of gratitude to the UCT’s online communications head and long-time tree lover, Rethea Deetlefs, who has immortalized this majestic tree. Alerting the Dendrological Society of South Africa about this remarkable giant, it was shortlisted by the Champion Tree evaluation panel and listed as the Kindergarten Giant.
Unique in its construction and appearance in comparison to its closest rivals just down the road so to speak. The behemoth Arden Garden Moreton Bay fig with its muscular limbs and imposing buttress roots, or the Fernwood Trees with towering column-like trunks, tall and slender like models on the runway, in perfect step.
Elegant and refined the Kindergarten Giant branches out like a fountain, providing pleasant, shade for the centre’s playpark.
(The Kindergarten Giant: Moreton Bay Fig) |
We visited during the lockdown period, deserted and quiet, allowing us time to appreciate such a magnificent colossus. It was late summer and hot, the sun was bright and high; nevertheless, the expanse of the canopy provided sufficient shade to savour our time spent.
Another unique quality of the Kindergarten Giant is the myriad of rooting arrangements that adorn this creature like a thick warm cloak. Surrounding the central trunk, disguising its breadth and providing an unusual character for this tree. We have no doubt that it contributes sufficient entertainment for the children as it did for our gathering on the day.
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