Common Name:

General Information

Cussonia paniculata is a short, thick-set, sparsely-branched, evergreen tree rarely exceeding 5 metres in height[].
A beautiful tree, often grown as an ornamental. This plant is considered a pachycaul succulent on the basis of its swollen stem base or tuber which forms early in plants grown from seed. The roots are also thick and swollen[].
The plant is sometimes harvested from the wild for local use as a food and source of wood.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Southern Africa - Botswana, Swaziland, Lesotho, S. Africa.

Habitat

Often found in rocky places where it grows in crevices filled with natural organic humus and compost[]. Open, wooded grassland[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	4.00 m
Growth Rate	Slow
Pollinators	Insects
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant mainly of the subtropics, just entering into the tropics. Plants can tolerate at least some frost[].
Requires a sunny position in a well-drained soil[]. Established plans are drought tolerant[].
A slow-growing tree[].
The flowers are very attractive to a wide range of pollinating insects including bees, wasps and flies[].

Edible Uses

The thick root can be peeled and eaten raw as food or as a source of water[].

Medicinal

Recent research sets out to investigate the traditional medical uses of Cussonia and Schefflera species to treat infections, inflammation and malaria[].

Other Uses

The wood is soft and light and was used for the brake-blocks of wagons[].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as possible because it loses much of its viability within 3 months. However, seed sown in summer months will germinate faster (in about 4 weeks) than seed sown in winter (7 weeks to germination). Sow the seed in seed trays in a semi-shaded position, ensuring at least 15cm depth of soil to allow the small tubers to form. Do not allow seed to become waterlogged or dry out. Seedlings can be transplanted at about 4 months, but be very careful not to damage the fleshy roots when transplanting[].
Plants can be grown from cuttings, but this is inadvisable because they do not make the proper, fleshy, underground rootstock that forms when plants are grown from seed[]

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