Exploring Pigeon Valley: The Fluted Milkwood
The riches of Pigeon Valley Nature Reserve explained by Glenwood resident and chair of the Friends of Pigeon Valley.
This is the 18th in an ongoing series that highlights the riches of Pigeon Valley, the urban nature reserve in the heart of Glenwood. The focus of this article will be on the Fluted Milkwood.
When I first became familiar with Pigeon Valley, around 1991, I encountered this tree near the northern contour path. Tall and immensely heavy, it nonetheless had the most hollow of bases, with light streaming through it. I recall not wanting to spend time anywhere near it, in case its inevitable collapse caught me.
It is still there, 28 years later. In a strong wind earlier this year, it was heaving and groaning after a large bough fell off – but it survived that too. This is a Fluted Milkwood, Chrysophyllum
viridifolium (golden-leaf, green-leaf). Not common anywhere, it is a most beautiful evergreen tree, with muscular fluting from its base, often rising five or more metres before the first branch. Its new leaves are flushed gold against the green, and it towers high into the canopy. The leaves have fine veins running in parallel.
ALSO READ: Exploring Pigeon Valley: Humans visiting the reserve
In season, the large round fruit thud down, and provide food for the Red Duikers. The fruit is extremely sticky; it holds within it a set of hard, shiny seeds, each with a sharp edge.
Occasionally you will find a clump of seedlings, very few of which will ever make it to full growth.
The precariousness and resilience shown in this image evoke my feelings about our society. We often feel perilously close to collapse – but there are also unrecognised positive forces at work that still hold us together.
Crispin Hemson chairs the Friends of Pigeon Valley, a group that undertakes clearing of alien plants, keeps records of bird and mammal sightings and alerts management to any problems.
The Friends have a monthly walk at 7.30am on the second Saturday of each month. Email: friendsofpigeonvalley1@gmail.com.
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