Cussonia spicata Thunb.

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Cussonia spicata

Photo: Bart Wursten
Globe Rock, Vumba

Cussonia spicata

Photo: Bart Wursten
Globe Rock, Vumba

Cussonia spicata

Photo: Bart Wursten
Ndundu Lodge, Vumba

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Species details: Click on each item to see an explanation of that item (Note: opens a new window)

Synonyms:
Common names: Cabbage tree (English) Mufenje (Shona) Musheme (Shona) Mushondya (Shona)
Frequency: Frequent
Status: Native
Description:
Medium sized evergreen tree with a much branched rounded crown. Bark grey and corky. Leaves twice digitate, large, up to 70 cm long with 5-9 primary divisions or pinnae. Each pinna digitately divided again; petiolules often broadly winged. Flowers small yellowish-green, in terminal umbels of thick-set spikes resembling strange candelabras of microphones. Fruit angular, 4-6 mm in diameter, purple-brown.
Notes: See C. arborea and C. natalensis for leaf comparisons.
Derivation of specific name: spicata: in spikes, spicate
Habitat: A tree of open terrain, found on rocky outcrops in montane grassland, bracken scrub and forest margins.
Altitude range: (metres) Up to 2500 m
Flowering time:Nov - May
Worldwide distribution: Widely distributed in eastern and southern tropical Africa and South Africa
Zimbabwe distribution: N,C,E,S
Growth form(s): Tree.
Endemic status:
Red data list status:
Insects associated with this species:
Spot characters: Display spot characters for this species
Images last updated: Saturday 2 January 2016
Literature:

Bamps, P. (1974). Contribution à l'étude des Araliacées africaines Bulletin du Jardin Botanique National de Belgique 44(1/2) Pages 115 - 118.

Burrows, J.E. & Willis, C.K. (eds) (2005). Plants of the Nyika Plateau Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 31 SABONET, Pretoria Page 78. (Includes a picture).

Burrows, J.E., Burrows, S.M., Lötter, M.C. & Schmidt, E. (2018). Trees and Shrubs Mozambique Publishing Print Matters (Pty), Cape Town. Page 718. (Includes a picture).

Cannon, J.F.M. (1978). Araliaceae Flora Zambesiaca 4 Pages 630 - 632. (Includes a picture).

Chapano, C. & Mamuto, M. (2003). Plants of the Chimanimani District National Herbarium and Botanic Garden, Zimbabwe Page 18.

Coates Palgrave, K. (revised and updated by Meg Coates Palgrave) (2002). Trees of Southern Africa 3rd edition. Struik, South Africa Pages 850 - 851.

Da Silva, M.C., Izidine, S. & Amude, A.B. (2004). A preliminary checklist of the vascular plants of Mozambique. Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 30 Sabonet, Pretoria Page 28.

Dowsett-Lemaire, F. (1989). The flora and phytogeography of the evergreen forests of Malawi. I: Afromontane and mid-altitude forests; Bull. Jard. Bot. Nat. Belg. 59(1/2) Page 18.

Drummond, R.B. (1975). A list of trees, shrubs and woody climbers indigenous or naturalised in Rhodesia. Kirkia 10(1) Page 265.

Elias, D. (1984). Zovo Chipolo Forest Nature Trail Education and Information Unit, Dept. of National Parks and Wildlife, Lilongwe. Page 4.

Mapaura, A. & Timberlake, J. (eds) (2004). A checklist of Zimbabwean vascular plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 33 Sabonet, Pretoria and Harare Page 19.

Phiri, P.S.M. (2005). A Checklist of Zambian Vascular Plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 32 Page 27.

Schmidt, E., Lötter, M. & McCleland, W. (2002). Trees and shrubs of Mpumalanga and Kruger National Park Jacana, Johannesburg, South Africa Pages 486 - 487. (Includes a picture).

Setshogo, M.P. (2005). Preliminary checklist of the plants of Botswana. Sabonet Report no. 37. Sabonet, Pretoria and Gaborone Page 30.

Siebert, S. & Mössmer, M. (Editors) (2002). SABONET Southern Mozambique Expedition 2001; Provisional Plant Checklist of the Maputo Elephant Reserve (MER) and Licuati Forest Reserve (LFR) SABONET News 7(1) Page 24.

Steedman, E.C. (1933). Some Trees, Shrubs and Lianes of Southern Rhodesia. Page 58.

Strugnell, A.M. (2006). A Checklist of the Spermatophytes of Mount Mulanje, Malawi Scripta Botanica Belgica 34 National Botanic Garden of Belgium Page 46.

Van Wyk, B. & Van Wyk, P. (1997). Field Guide to Trees of Southern Africa. Struik, South Africa Pages 48 - 49. (Includes a picture).

Van Wyk, B. & Van Wyk, P. (2013). Field Guide to Trees of Southern Africa (Second edition) Struik, South Africa Pages 54 - 55. (Includes a picture).

White, F., Dowsett-Lemaire, F. & Chapman, J.D. (2001). Evergreen forest flora of Malawi Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Pages 152 - 154. (Includes a picture).

Wursten, B., Timberlake, J. & Darbyshire, I. (2017). The Chimanimani Mountains: an updated checklist. Kirkia 19(1) Page 88.


Other sources of information about Cussonia spicata:

Our websites:

Flora of Botswana: Cussonia spicata
Flora of Malawi: Cussonia spicata
Flora of Mozambique: Cussonia spicata
Flora of Zambia: Cussonia spicata
Flora of Zimbabwe: cultivated Cussonia spicata

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Cussonia spicata
African Plant Database: Cussonia spicata
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Cussonia spicata
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Cussonia spicata
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Cussonia spicata
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Cussonia spicata
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Cussonia spicata
JSTOR Plant Science: Cussonia spicata
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Cussonia spicata
Plants of the World Online: Cussonia spicata
Tropicos: Cussonia spicata
Wikipedia: Cussonia spicata


Copyright: Mark Hyde, Bart Wursten, Petra Ballings and Meg Coates Palgrave, 2002-24

Hyde, M.A., Wursten, B.T., Ballings, P. & Coates Palgrave, M. (2024). Flora of Zimbabwe: Species information: Cussonia spicata.
https://www.zimbabweflora.co.zw/speciesdata/species.php?species_id=142930, retrieved 19 March 2024

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