Cassine peragua standing alone

While the stem or stems of Cassine peragua may be crooked, the crown in stand-alone conditions spreads, here somewhat rounded.

This is, however, commonly a forest tree, some of its mates here in Kirstenbosch positioned in those conditions. The solitary tree lacks the stimulation for gaining the height that would be induced by woody bystanders in forests; a freedom that allows for investing in a wider girth.

In the days of Simon van der Stel the wood of this tree was used for making large ladles, hence the forest spoonwood common name (Venter, 2012; Pooley, 1993).