farm 215 | fynbos reserve in the overberg | western cape

farm 215
overberg
south africa
nature retreat & fynbos reserve

a 4-star country house on the "fynbos road" between stanford & cape agulhas - southern overberg - western cape

flora & faunaindigenous forest

The vegetation in the Western Cape is normally associated with fynbos and other shrub-like vegetation types. When suddenly fynbos gives way to the whole different world of trees, ferns and climbers, the forest seems out of place. It seems out of time as well. Meeting trees of several centuries old in an area where all plants are rejuvenated by fire every decade or so, seems odd.

Nevertheless, remnants of original afromontane forest survive in the Overberg on southern deep-sanded slopes, getting moisture from early morning summer-mist. These forests, if not hampered with, are immune against fire. It is a stunning sight to see the raging fire being stopped at the fringes of the forest and to go around it as flowing water around a rock. On the coastal plains of the Overberg, several mikwood thickets date back centuries. In the various kloofs and riverine valleys, yet other species of trees survive the fires, sheltered by high cliffs and surrounding thicket that swallow most of the force of the fire.

On farm 215, there is a small original forest-patch under a waterfall dominated by imposing cape hollies of over two hundred years. The tree-canapé protects the area from the sun and the waterfall provides a natural air-conditioning. Especially on hot summer days, the waterfall is the best shower to have. Though the total surface of this forest patch is small (the continuous juvenile forest in the wider part of the kloof is wiped away by fire now and than), there are still a whopping twenty different forest species.

The largest kloof on farm 215 has a more extensive indigenous forest. Some open patches in the forest, caused by regular baboon-sleep-overs, are overgrown with metre-high ferns. The stream is interrupted by several frog-filled pools and rock formations. In the middle of this forest one really would not believe to be in the heart of a fynbos-biome. On one side the forest is suddenly stopped by a mountain face which goes a straight 180 degrees in the air for -at places- 100 metres. These steep moist south-facing rocks get a minimum of direct sun-light and as a consequence have a specific flora of their own. Several bulb plants, some of which are very rare thrive and in autumn the whole mountain face is covered with the striking white flowers of the arum lily. This kloof shows a high diversity of tree species as well. Cape beech, hard pear, red alder, ironwood, tree-fuchsia, bladdernut, assegaai and cape holly are just a few of them.

At a cross point of three smaller kloofs, the indigenous forest gave way to an invasive alien forest of Australian tree-species. Alien forests constitute a huge problem in the Western Cape, smothering the indigenous vegetation and using huge quantities of water. Most of the alien invasive vegetation has been cleared and the land has been re-forested with indigenous tree-species or rehabilitated with fynbos. The reforestation project is a matter in which we take special pride. Seeds are harvested from trees in the area and seedlings come from our own nursery. Special care should however be given after planting out. A mature forest is fire-immune, a juvenile forest is not. Special care is needed to protect a juvenile forest against fire for several decades before it can withstand fire.
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