With multiple thick, dark brown trunks that become corky with age, the Cussonia creates what designers call ‘base weight’, something on which the eye can rest. It is the most widespread of the Cabbage tree species with a provincial distribution from Eastern Cape, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West, and Western Cape. Though it can reach heights of 18 m in the wild, in the garden it usually grows to 6 m. The dark red – black fruits produced on long spikes attract Louries, bulbuls, starlings, barbets and mousebirds, and the greenish-yellow flowers, seen in April and May, attract numerous insect species. Natural habitats are forest margins, in wooded grassland, bushveld, on rocky outcrops. It has an aggressive root system.