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Cussonia spicata
Araliaceae FAMILY

Cussonia spicata

Cussonia spicata

Edibility
2/5
Medicinal
2/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitEvergreen Tree
Growth—

A tree of moderate elevations in the subtropics and tropics of eastern Africa. All the species in this genus have potentially destructive root systems and should therefore be kept at a distance from any structural features and underground services such as sewer pipes, water mains and electrical cables[1]. Plants in this genus do not generally transplant well once they are established, so the position needs to be chosen carefully[1].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe. After washing the thin layer of pulp off the seed, it should be sown immediately into seed trays in a fine seedling germination mixture and covered lightly. Seed may take from three to eight weeks to germinate. Seedlings are best left in the tray for the first year and transplanted into individual containers at the beginning of the second growing season[1]. They can be ready to plant out into their permanent positions 2 years later[1].Cuttings Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Cussonia+spicata>

Pollinators

Insects

References

  1. [1]PlantZAfrica.com — http://www.plantzafrica.com ↩︎An excellent site giving detailed descriptions and uses of many S. African plants.
  2. [2]Edible Wild Plants of Tanzania — Ruffo, C.K.: Birnie, A. & Tengnas, B. · Regional Land Management Unit; Nairobi. · 2002 · ISBN 9966-896-60-0 ↩︎A very well presented, simple guide to growing and utilizing wild food plants in Tanzania, with line drawings of each plant, a description, habitat and range, non-food as well as food uses, plus basic information on growing the plants.
  3. [3]Flora of Tropical East Africa — Beentje H.J. · Royal Botanic Gardens; Kew. · 2002 · http://plants.jstor.org/search?st=396814 ↩︎Available on-line, a modern flora of East Africa.
  4. [4]Field Guide to the Moist Forest Trees of Tanzania. — Lovett J.C.; Ruffo C.K.; Gereau R.E.; Taplin J.R.D · Frontier · http://www.york.ac.uk/res/celp/webpages/projects/ecology/tree%20guide/introduction.htm · ISBN 1-873070-33-0 ↩︎A lovely little book giving a basic identification guide to more than 650 species of trees growing in Tanzania. It is also available to view on the internet.