Wonderboom

The Wonderboom is a wild fig whose branches, as they grew heavy and reached the ground, took root and became new trunks - and those in turn sent out branches that did the same, so what began as one tree became a series of concentric generations covering a large area. Counts of the successive rings vary and some of the outer generations have died back, but the surviving structure is still a grove that is genetically one plant. Age estimates run past a thousand years and are estimates. The Afrikaans name means wonder tree, and it has been a landmark since before Pretoria existed; the fort on the ridge above it, one of four built to defend the city in the 1890s, takes its name from the tree. The reserve around it covers the Magaliesberg ridge with walking trails and views over the city.

History

Voortrekkers under Hendrik Potgieter found and named the tree in 1836, and many trekkers rested in its shade on the way to the Soutpansberg. A fire in 1870 cut it back sharply, the area with the tree and the fort above it became a nature reserve in March 1937, and the reserve was declared a national monument on 23 September 1988 (Wikipedia, Wonderboom (tree)).

What to look for

• The self-propagated grove - branches that rooted and became trunks, generation after generation.
• The single organism - a grove that is genetically one fig tree.
• The thousand-year estimate - an age given with appropriate uncertainty.
• The ridge reserve - Magaliesberg trails and a nineteenth-century fort above.

When to go

All year. One hour, longer with the ridge walk.

What to expect

Some outer generations have died and the grove is less complete than older photographs show. The reserve has had periods of poor maintenance. It is on the edge of the city; take normal precautions. Gate hours are fixed.

Nearby

Pretoria is south; the Wonderboom fort is on the ridge above.

Key facts