Heritage Estate has a number of Heritage Trees on it that we will keep in the development under the guidance of the Heritage Association (PHRAG).
Special status to extraordinary single trees and groups of trees in South Africa (indigenous as well as exotic trees), are referred to as ‘Champion Trees’, a project run by the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries. There are some Pinus and Sequoia species listed in the Champion Trees Project.
The Dendrological Society of South Africa keeps The National Register of Big Trees in South Africa, which only deals with measuring and indexing of large indigenous tree species.
It is to this extent that the landscaping of Heritage Estate remains indigenous and a list of acceptable plants is given to all purchasers and residents who have gardens and this list must be adhered to – to conform to the integrity of the flora of the Estate.
Ref: Naas Grove – www.northwestnewspapers.co.za
Heritage Trees – The Wild Olive
Olea eauropaea subsp. Africana is a neatly shaped evergreen tree with a dense spreading crown of glossy grey top dark green foliage. Sprays of tiny, lightly scented white to greenish flowers (Oct to Feb) are followed by small, spherical, thinly fleshy fruits (March – July) that are either sweet or sour and which ripen to purple-black.
Frost, drought and wind-resistant, the wild olive has beautiful wood for furniture and is regarded as a small fruited sub-species of the commercial olive.
A tea can be made from the leaves and bark, and an ink from the juices of the fruit. Traditional remedies prepared from this plant are eye lotions and tonics that lower blood pressure, improve kidney function and ease sore throats. Early Cape settlers used the fruit to treat diarrhea. The fruit is edible but not very tasty
It is widespread in Africa, Mascarene Islands, Arabia, India to China. The tree is an asset on farms and game farms – especially in very dry areas as it is extremely hardy and is an excellent fodder tree.
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The Coral Tree (kuskoraalboom/umsinsi)
]Erythrinas are part of the pea family, fabaceae. They are a global phenomenon and are more commonly called the coral tree or flame tree. South Africa is home to species of Erythrina that occur across all climates and biomes; from prime safari territory, to botanical gardens such as Kirstenbosch, to the streets of Durban.
Erythrina lysistemon – The lucky bean tree
This is the most well-known of all the African coral trees because it is so attractive. Black rhino, kudu, elephants and baboons love its leaves. Certain birds, bees and insects come for its iconic flowers, and it is the brown-headed parrot that disperses the tree’s lucky seeds.
Traditionally, this tree was planted on the graves of Zulu chiefs and is used intensively in traditional Zulu landscaping around the village and kraals. It was also one of the first trees to be used in domestic gardens in colonial times because of its flashy good looks. There are a few towns in South Africa with streets lined with the lucky bean tree, but it naturally occurs in northern South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe and all the way up to Angola.
The Fir Tree (Trosden)
Fir trees are not indigenous to South Africa and belong to the evergreen coniferous trees in the family Pinaceae. The native area that this species – Pinus pinaster, originates from is the Mediterranean Basin, i.e. Northern Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco.
Pinus pinaster is a popular topic in ecology because of its problematic growth and spread in South Africa for the past 150 years after being imported into the region at the end of the 17th century (1685-1693. It was also found spreading in Cape Peninsula by 1772. Towards the end of the 18th century (1780), Pinus pinaster was widely planted, and at the beginning of the 19th century (1825-1830), was planted commercially as a timber resource and for the forestry industry. It has now become naturalised in South Africa.
The pine tree species invades large areas and more specifically fynbos vegetation, and is found in greater abundance close to watercourses. Dispersal, habitat loss, and fecundity are all factors that affect spread rate. The species favors acidic soils with medium to high-density vegetation.
The Fir tree at the Pavilion has been noted as a Heritage Tree and is being incorporated into our landscape design.
Ref: www.wikipedia.com, www.invasives.org.za 
Indigenous Plants
The upper catchments of the Vaal, Crocodile-Komati and Usutu-Pongola river systems are all Highveld grasslands. Comprising 60% of the province, the grasslands play an important role in conserving and providing water.
The Highveld Plateau is fairly flat with elevations varying from 1400m to 1800m. The flat topography means that the landscape is traversed by many meandering rivers, with the grassland community historically playing an important role in natural water purification of the westward flowing rivers that originate on the Drakensberg escarpment. The functioning of this ecosystem has been disrupted in many areas by water transfer projects that have been built to supply great Johannesburg with water.
Grassland is our most used and pressured landscape. Grassland is not just grass. Inherent to grassland are: half of South Africa’s 34 endemic mammals, many endemic birds and several hundred plants listed as threatened. A good many of these are herbaceous plants such as arum lilies, red hot pokers, aloes, watsonias, gladiolii, orchids; as well as many medicinal and culturally significant species.
This biome is also the most susceptible to invasion by alien plant species.
