''Cussonia sphaerocephala'' is a species of tree in the family
Araliaceae
The Araliaceae are a family of flowering plants composed of about 43 genera and around 1500 species consisting of primarily woody plants and some herbaceous plants. The morphology of Araliaceae varies widely, but it is predominantly distinguisha ...
. It is known as the Natal forest cabbage tree; in
Afrikaans
Afrikaans (, ) is a West Germanic language that evolved in the Dutch Cape Colony from the Dutch vernacular of Holland proper (i.e., the Hollandic dialect) used by Dutch, French, and German settlers and their enslaved people. Afrikaans gra ...
it is called the Natalse boskiepersol, and in
isiZulu
Zulu (), or isiZulu as an endonym, is a Southern Bantu language of the Nguni branch spoken in Southern Africa. It is the language of the Zulu people, with about 12 million native speakers, who primarily inhabit the province of KwaZulu-Natal of ...
as umsenge.
Description
The distinctive leaves are twice compound arranged in neat circular heads.
Habitat
It grows on the subtropical coast of South Africa.
Ecology
The larva of the cabbage tree emperor moth (''
Bunaea alcinoe
''Bunaea alcinoe'', the cabbage tree emperor moth, is an African moth species belonging to the family Saturniidae. It was first described by Caspar Stoll in 1780.
Larva
The final instar is about in length and about in diameter. "Ground colou ...
'') feed on the leaves.
References
Araliaceae
Trees of South Africa
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