Cabbage Tree, Mountain cabbage tree
Cussonia paniculata
Family: Araliaceae
What it is like
A small tree. It grows up to 5 m tall and has few branches. The trunk is rough, brown and corky. The bark is grey and cracked along its length. The trunk can be 60 cm across. The branches have prominent leaf scars. The leaves can be 60 cm across. They are made up of 7-9 leaflets arranged like a fan. The leaflets are entire and lobed. The form segments with constrictions between them. Each leaflet is 10-30 cm long by 2-6 cm wide. They are a pale blue-grey. The edges are toothed. The flowers are small and green. They occur in densely flowers spikes. These are 2.5-5 cm long. They are branched. The fruit is fleshy and 6 cm across. They are purple when mature.
There are 20 Cussonia species. They occur in South Africa.
Where it is found
It is native to South Africa. It grows inland and up to 2100 m altitude. It often grows in rocky places. It cannot tolerate heavy frosts. It is drought tolerant. It can grow in arid places. It suits hardiness zones 9-11. Melbourne Botanical Gardens. Wittunga Botanical Gardens.
Countries/locations it is found in
Africa, Australia, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, South Africa (country/location of origin), Southern Africa, Swaziland, Zambia
How it is used for food
The thick tuberous root is peeled and eaten as an emergency food or for moisture. The fruit are edible when ripe.
Edible parts
Root, fruit, leaves
How it is grown
Plants can be grown from cuttings. They can also be grown from fresh seeds.
It is fairly slow growing.
Its other names
Local names
Bergkiepersol, Highveld Cabbage tree, Hoeveldse kiepersol, Motsetse, Umsenge