Cussonia spicata
Spiked cabbage tree · also Common cabbage tree, Common cabbagetree, Spiky cabbage tree
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Cussonia spicata is a multi-trunked evergreen tree native to East Africa. It features corky, upward-curving branches topped with deeply-dissected, palm-like leaves and clusters of greenish-white flowers. This species tolerates drought and wind, but its invasive roots can be destructive to nearby infrastructure.
Where it grows
Trees in each city's inventory, with the share of that city's named trees this species accounts for.
- 190.01%—3.0 in
No city in this list records planting dates for this species, so age is blank throughout.
Traits
- Form
- Multi-trunk
- Foliage
- Evergreen
- Mature height
- 25–40 ft
- Canopy spread
- 15–30 ft
- Growth rate
- Fast
- Water needs
- Low
- Drought tolerance
- High
- Roots
- Invasive
- Wildlife value
- Moderate
- Blooms
- Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov
Trunk diameters across every city: median 3.0 in, mean 5.9 in, 90th percentile 12 in. Measured at breast height, as published by each inventory.
Native range
Terrestrial ecoregions where this species is native. Trees in the dataset mostly stand well outside it.
Tropical & Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests
- Comoros forests
- East African montane forests
- Kwazulu Natal-Cape coastal forests