Cussonia zuluensis leaf

The deciduous leaves of Cussonia zuluensis are spirally arranged at branch tips.

The leaves are doubly digitate or twice compound on long stalks of up to 30 cm. Each of the up to twelve, much dissected leaflets has a tapering tip ending in a hair-like protrusion or mucro. The leaflet base tapers, becoming winged stalks fitting into lower leaflets. Leaflet shape is variable. The main leaflet stalks are sometimes winged.

The upper leaflet margins and the lateral leaflets are sparsely to distinctly toothed and sometimes wavy. Leaflets become 25 cm long. Leaflet texture is leathery and glossy dark green above, dull below.

The leaves resemble those of C. spicata (Coates Palgrave, 2002; Pooley, 1993; Van Wyk and Van Wyk, 1997).