cabbage tree, noun phrase

Origin:
See quotations 1987 and 1989.
kiepersol.
1868 J. Chapman Trav. II. 447One of the most remarkable of the Natal trees is our only representative of the Ivy family, and is known as the Cabbage-tree, and to the Dutch as the Nojes-boom (Cussonia).
1907 T.R. Sim Forests & Forest Flora 55Softer woods there certainly are..and these, such as the Kaffir-tree (Erythrina), the Cork tree (Commiphora), and the Cabbage tree (Cussonia), are too soft for planking.
1954 U. Van der Spuy Ornamental Shrubs & Trees 105Cabbage tree, Evergreen tree growing to between 15 and 30 ft and of erect growth. In some species the stem sends out no branches near the bottom, but a few at the very top.
1987 E. Prov. Herald 28 Mar. 6Cussonias, or Cabbage Trees, are a small branch of the large family of Araliaceae...The name cabbage tree comes from the cabbage-like colour of some species.
1989 Skipper Vol.3 No.7, 9Why is the Schefflera umbellifera called a Bastard Cabbage Tree? It indicates the tree’s relationship to the real Cabbage Trees (Cussonia species). The name likens the big clusters of large leaves to those of a cabbage.
1991 Weekend Post 5 Jan. 11He was against the aerial spraying of herbicides. Indigenous trees such as milkwoods and cabbage trees (kiepersol) were damaged or destroyed.
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18681991

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cabbage, nounn.cadenza, nounn.
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