The white milkwood (Sideroxylon inerme) is a protected species in South Africa. Three specimens have been proclaimed National Monuments. One of these is situated in Mossel Bay and is called the ‘Post Office Tree’. In 1500 Portuguese soldiers tied a shoe containing a letter on the tree, describing the drowning at sea of the famous Bartholomew Dias. This tree is said to be 600 years old. Other renowned specimens are the ‘Treaty Tree’ in Woodstock, Cape Town and the ‘Fingo Milkwood Tree’ near Peddie in the Eastern Cape.
