Cussonia spicata Thunb.

Cussonia spicata Thunb., distributed throughout sub-Saharan Africa, is an evergreen tree that grows up to 17 m tall and gives rise to green flowers. The bark and roots have been traditionally used for several ailments, leading to the investigation of the phytochemistry of C. spicata. Several phytochemicals have been identified and the pharmacological properties were investigated. It was reported that C. spicata displayed antibacterial, antimalarial and antiproliferative activity. The botanical description, geographical distribution, ethnobotanical uses, phytochemical constituents and pharmacological properties have been reported in this chapter.