This is the true South African forest with trees like the
water berry and water pear, Syzygium cordatum and
S. guineense, also matumi, Breonadia salicina
and the quinine tree, Rauvolfia caffra.
 Matumi
grows down to the water's edge, with enormous roots going
right into the river.
Inflorescences of the Water Pear, Syzygium guineense,
resemble those of the eucalyptuses, which also belong to
the family Myrtaceae.
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 On
a shaded and rocky, narrow strip between the forest and the
taxonomic garden lies a wonderful collection of ferns, ranging
from the fragile, daintiest maidenhair of them all, Adiantum
poirettii, to the robust and rampant climber, Stenochlaena
tenuifolia seen here. This fern, once thought to
be restricted to the eastern seaboard, was discovered in the
Barberton area about 20 years ago.
 John
Burrows, author of Southern African ferns and fern allies
(Frandsen, Sandton 1992) considers this to be one of the
finest fern collections in the botanical gardens of Africa.
Among the attractive bird's nest ferns is this species, Microsorium
punctatum.
On a scorching summer day an amble through this verdant,
cool, moist garden is sheer bliss and if it's hot enough you
won't even bother to dodge the sprinklers!
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