Cussonia paniculata
The Highveld Cabbage Tree is closely associated with rocky ridges in grasslands and bushveld, and occurs in all South Africa’s provinces with the exception of the Northern Cape. It is also found in Lesotho and marginally into Swaziland and Botswana. Being adapted to high altitudes (up to 2,100m asl), they’re quite resistant to frost and grow rather slowly, rarely growing higher than 5m, and often setting down roots in crevices, even splitting rocks as the tree grows. These trees flower from January to April, the flowers being very popular with all manner of flying insects, with the fruit becoming mature around mid-winter.
As a decorative plant the Highveld Cabbage Tree is quite often planted in gardens. In the old days the wood was used to make brake-blocks for ox-wagons.
DeWetsWild 
This has been on the screen since you wrote it – wow! first, the name of ‘cabbage tree’ makes me smile, and it’s always a joy to see slices of your world… i plan to keep this ‘refreshed’ for one more viewing when i get home later today – as this is a delightful tree to appreciate from an artistic view as well as a naturalist’s!
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I agree wholeheartedly, Lisa – they’re such uniquely shaped trees and I can imagine a landscape filled with them and dinosaurs roaming in between.
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Those are some pretty leaves. 🙂
janet
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Indeed Janet, and rather unique among African trees too.
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Your photos convey well their sculptural sometimes gnarled appearance contrasting with the lovely silvery gray of the leaves.
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Thanks you, Carol! It’s rare for rather small trees like these to have such a memorable appearance – normally when one think about beautiful trees it’s the big baobabs, camel thorns and yellowwoods that come to mind.
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The beauty of trees!
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So vitally important for sustaining life on earth
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I wish folks didn’t feel the need to just chop them down to gain more space or a better view!
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You and me both, Robert.
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I enjoy cabbage trees and have planted a Cussonia spicata in my garden, where it is doing very well.
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I’d imagine it would, Anne – your garden is such a paradise!
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have not seen these before
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There might be related species in Australia, Gavin.
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OK. Thanks
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Its leaves look almost like oak leaves.
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Right you are, Lois, though these leaves are quite a bit larger.
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