Re:
- Subject: Re:
- From: d* f*
- Date: Tue, 17 Jul 2001 03:12:41 -0700 (PDT)
The info relayed so far regarding Cussonia paniculata
and Trevisia palmata by others is similar to my own
experience. The Trevisia in my garden was a young
plant with 2' trunk in the December 1998 freeze, and
froze to the ground at 25F,(and 2 consecutive days of
temps not rising above freezing), but regrew from the
roots the following June, and is now about 3 feet tall
with double trunk. The Cussonia paniculata was
defoliated under these same conditions, but did not
suffer trunk damage or death of terminal growing
point. In colder areas, C. paniculata can be
deciduous, but is usually evergreen in the warmer
parts of the SF Bay Area. It can take full hot sun
and drought, or partial sun and better, general garden
conditions. The silvery gray coloration and tighter
form is more common with full sun and drought, but it
certainy doesn't require heat, drought or perfect
drainage to grow well here, and is faster and taller
with regular water.
The Cussonia spicata, or Lowveld Cabbage Tree is more
tender to cold, but also faster growing and more lush
in appearance. It will grow quite well in deep shade
or full sun, and will also return from the roots at
temperatures down to at least 28F, (in my experience,
as it hasn't been really tested here in my garden
below these temps), and has foilage of a more olive
green color than gray, and very much more interesting
than the photo of same(?) in Chas's web site. My tree
is now about 10' tall at 2.5 years of age, and the
leaves look as if cut with pinking shears to form a
child's folded and cut out snowflake. The new foliage
is a deep burgundy in color before it expands to full
size,(18" across with 18"~2' long stems), and usually
puts out 3~4 waves of growth each year, adding about
18" to 4 feet of trunk in a year, (and this is with
minimal drip irrigation!).
Both trees will eventually branch and become less palm
like in character, but I do not know of any local
trees of such size or age that have bloomed or
branched significantly yet. Most Cussonias to be seen
locally are 8 to 15 feet tall at most, with perhaps 2
to four branches, mostly as a result of freeze damage
in the December 1990 freeze. Trevesias which survived
the 1990 freeze here in warmer parts of
Berkeley/Oakland without dying to the ground are
perhaps taller, to 16' now, and also branched
once/twice due to tip dieback in freezes. The largest
Trevisia I have seen locally is in Marcia Donahue's
garden,(under tree protection), while one planted at
the Dry Garden Nursery with full exposure just a few
blocks away was killed to the ground in the 1998
freeze.
Neither tree seems to require pampering as to
fertilizer, and receive none in my garden, and still
grow quite quickly. With fertilizer in containers,
they can be pushed into impressivey fast growth in our
mild but cool coastal mediterannean climate. Hope
this helps...
--- Charles Dills <cdills@charter.net> wrote:
> Paul Spracklin inquired about a tree called
> Cussonia.
>
> To start with I know little or nothing about them
> and would
> appreciate an expert's short discussion about their
> care and feeding.
>
> But!!!! I do have two, paniculata and spicata.
> Our resident
> expert might like to see what I have so I put them
> on my Blooming
> Tree page at:
>
> http://www.charlies-web.com/slotrees/non.html
>
> Anyone may look, of course. Enjoy! ---Chas---
> --
>
******************************************************************
> It's possible to disagree without being
> disagreeable.
>
------------------------------------------------------------------
> Charles E. Dills 1371 Avalon San Luis Obispo
> CA 93405
> [Mac G4] cdills@charter.net 805-544-1731
> cdills@fix.net
> http://www.charlies-web.com No
> size limit.
> Eudora 4.0 Netscape Communicator 4.7
> Pagemaker 6.5
> Photoshop 6.0 Microsoft Word (Mac) 98
> System 9.0.4
> I can be forgetful. If I fail to do something I
> promised, tell me!
>
******************************************************************
>
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