City of Bayswater goes out on a limb with tree transplant

City of Bayswater TWO unusual trees from the Maylands Multipurpose Centre building site have been saved and moved to a new location at the City of Bayswater Civic Centre in Morley. The African, or spiked cabbage trees (Cussonia spicata), are second cousins to the common New Zealand cabbage tree and were transplanted last week. Bayswater Mayor Terry Kenyon said the city was keen to salvage and retain good, mature plant specimens from the Maylands Library gardens as the new multipurpose centre development progresses. "I'm pleased to say our parks and garden staff were able to successfully lift and transplant the distinctive cabbage trees," he said. "They are now staked securely and are being provided with additional water and soil improvements so the roots will become established in their new home. "The trees were placed in the warm, sunny gardens on the northern side of the Civic Centre, which will allow their full canopies to develop and shade the building's windows in summer." The spiked cabbage trees are native to eastern and southern tropical Africa and are found in open grasslands, rocky outcrops and forest areas. Their leaves, roots and bark are used for medicinal purposes in Africa and wild elephants have a particular liking for the roots. "Our finance staff, who look out at the trees' new home, have been intrigued by the unusual leaf and flower arrangements radiating out in wheels from the end of their branches," Mayor Kenyon said. "The transplant shows that trees can be preserved successfully with a bit of forward-planning and care and don't necessarily have to be sacrificed for the sake of development." < Prev   Next >