|
Posted by Enviroadmin
|
|
Wednesday, 26 October 2011 16:06 |
 Source: LookLocal and GeaSphere
Residents and nature lovers are mortified by the news that the ancient giant that stands sentinel along the N4 entrance to the city is going to be cut down.
The wild wonderboom fig tree, that graced the landscape for more than a century before the city was established with the construction of a station in 1892, is to be cut down to make way for a dual carriageway between Schagen and Nelspruit.
Although the Ficus salicifolia is not a protected species, local horticulturalist Neil Fishwick says it the only tree of its species to be found in the Nelspruit area, save for the Lowveld National Botanical Garden.
"It is a rare tree in the Lowveld and in the 20 years I have known it, has not changed one iota," he says. The tree is estimated to be just over 200 years old and has an extensive root system which courses through the earth for many metres.
|
