and the
assegai or Cape lancewood. Forest trees rarely exceed 30 ft. in height
and scarcely any attain a greater height than 60 ft. A characteristic
Cape tree is _Leucadendron argenteum_ or silver tree, so named from the
silver-like lustre of stem and leaves. The so-called cedars, whence the
Cedarberg got its name, exist no longer. Among trees introduced by the
Dutch or British colonists the oak, poplar, various pines, the
Australian blue-gum (eucalyptus) and wattle flourish. The silver wattle
grows freely in shifting sands and by its means waste lands, e.g. the
Cape Flats, have been reclaimed. The oak grows more rapidly and more
luxuriantly than in Europe. There are few indigenous fruits; the kei
apple is the fruit of a small tree or shrub found in Kaffraria and the
eastern districts, where also the wild and Kaffir plums are common; hard
pears, gourds, water melons and species of almond, chestnut and lemon
are also native. Almost all the fruits of other countries have been
introduced and flourish. On the Karroo the bush consists of dwarf
mimosas, wax-heaths and other shrubs, which after the spring rains are
gorgeous in blossom (see KARROO). The grass of the interior plains is of
a coarse character and yellowish colour, very different from the meadow
grasses of England. The "Indian" doab grass is also indigenous.

With regard to mountain flora arborescent shrubs do not reach beyond
about 4000 ft. Higher up the slopes are covered with small heath,
_Bruniaceae, Rutaceae_, &c. All plants with permanent foliage are
thickly covered with hair. Above 6000 ft. over seventy species of plants
of Alpine character have been found.

_Races and Population_.--The first inhabitants of Cape Colony of whom
there is any record were Bushmen and Hottentots (q.v.). The last-named
were originally called Quaequaes, and received the name Hottentots from
the Dutch. They dwelt chiefly in the south-west and north-west parts of
the country; elsewhere the inhabitants were of Bantu negroid stock, and
to them was applied the name Kaffir. When the Cape was discovered by
Europeans, the population, except along the coast, was very scanty and
it is so still. The advent of Dutch settlers and a few Huguenot families
in the 17th century was followed in the 19th century by that of English
and German immigrants. The Bushmen retreated before the white races and
now few are to be found in the colony. These live chiefly in the
districts bordering the Orange rive