Cycads of South Africa

[Sharifa]

E. nubimontanus

Etymology:

Latin nubis, black, and montanus, mountain





Description:

Plants arborescent; stem 2.5 m tall, 35-40 cm diam.

Leaves 110-140 cm long, blue or silver, dull, strongly keeled (opposing leaflets inserted at 45-70° on rachis); rachis blue, straight, stiff, slightly twisted in some leaves; petiole straight, with no prickles; leaf-base collar prominent; basal leaflets reducing to spines (few).

Leaflets lanceolate, concolorous, overlapping upwards, not lobed, insertion angle acute (less than 45°); margins flat; upper margin entire (no teeth), or lightly toothed (1-3 teeth); lower margin entire (no teeth), or lightly toothed (1-3 teeth); median leaflets 17-25 cm long, 15-25 mm wide.

Pollen cones 2-5, narrowly ovoid or fusiform, bluish-green, 25-40 cm long, 5-11 cm diam.

Seed cones 1-3, ovoid, blue-green, 30-40 cm long, 18-20 cm diam.

Seeds ovoid, 35-38 mm long, 23-30 mm wide, sarcotesta red.

Distinguishing features:



Most similar to E. cupidus, differing in the larger and arborescent habit and the longer leaves with longer petioles and often recurving tips. Apical cone-scales in both seed and pollen cones of E. nubimontanus are sterile and extended, unlike those of E. cupidus, and cones are glaucous rather than dark green. Fully adult leaflets also tend to be entire.

Distribution and habitat:

South Africa - Transvaal Natal

Conservation:

1997 IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants category E, listed as both Encephalartos nubimontanus and E. venetus

Historical notes:

Described in 1995 by South African horticulturist P.J.H. Hurter.

Reference: The Cycad Pages

[Toko]

Some even taller than the last ones. What a surprising family

Some are taller, but otherwise they look very much alike - all very pretty

[Sharifa]

E. paucidentatus

Etymology:

Latin pauci, few, and denta, teeth





Description:

Plants arborescent; stem 6 m tall, 40-70 cm diam.

Leaves 150-250 cm long, dark green, highly glossy, flat (not keeled) in section or reflexed (opposing leaflets inserted at 180° on rachis); rachis yellowish, straight, stiff, not spirally twisted; petiole straight, with no prickles; leaf-base collar not present; basal leaflets not reducing to spines.



Leaflets lanceolate, strongly discolorous, not overlapping, not lobed, insertion angle horizontal to obtuse (45-80°); margins flat; upper margin lightly toothed (1-3 teeth); lower margin lightly toothed (1-3 teeth); median leaflets 15-25 cm long, 20-35 mm wide.

Pollen cones 1-5, ovoid, yellow, 40-60 cm long, 12-15 cm diam.



Seed cones 1-5, ovoid, yellow, 35-50 cm long, 20-25 cm diam.

Seeds oblong, 30-35 mm long, 18-20 mm wide, sarcotesta red.
Distinguishing features: A robust, tall-growing species with glossy dark green leaves. Mature leaves are straight and flat, with leaflets tending to droop away from the rachis. Leaflets do not overlap, and are entire or carry 1-2 spines on the margins, and 2-4 basal leaflets reduce to prickles, although leaving some clear petiole. It is thought to be closest to E. transvenosus, which has broader, overlapping leaflets with 3-6 prickles, and E. heenanii, which has shorter trunks, shorter leaves that are held stiffly erect and often twist at the tips, and entire leaflets.

Distribution and habitat:

Swaziland and South Africa, Transvaal Province, in mountain forests with fairly high rainfall.

Conservation:

1997 IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants category V.

Historical notes:

Described in 1926 by English botanists Otto Stapf and Joseph Burtt Davy.

Reference: The Cycad Pages

[Sharifa]

E. princeps

Etymology:

Latin princeps, primary or first, from the authors perception that this was the first in an evolutionary sequence leading eventually to E. ?horridus.



Description:

Plants arborescent; stem 4 m tall, 30-40 cm diam.

Leaves 100-130 cm long, blue or silver, dull, strongly keeled (opposing leaflets inserted at 50-90° on rachis); rachis blue, straight with last third sharply recurved, not spirally twisted; petiole straight, with no prickles; leaf-base collar prominent; basal leaflets not reducing to spines.



Leaflets lanceolate, weakly discolorous, overlapping upwards, not lobed, insertion angle acute (less than 45°); margins flat; upper margin entire (no teeth); lower margin entire (no teeth); median leaflets 15 cm long, 15 mm wide.

Pollen cones 1-3, ovoid, green, 20-25 cm long, 8-10 cm diam.

Seed cones 1-3, ovoid, green, 30-40 cm long, 20-25 cm diam. Verrucose.

Seeds oblong, 35-40 mm long, 15-20 mm wide, sarcotesta red.

Distinguishing features:

The entire, closely crowded and overlapping leaflets distinguish this species from other blue-leaved species of the eastern Cape Province, as do the dark green, more or less glabrous cones with verrucose terminal sporophyll facets. The blue-leaved species of the Cape Province have discolorous leaves with stomata on the undersurfaces only, in contrast to the blue-leaved species of Transvaal, which all have stomata on both surfaces of the leaflets.

Distribution and habitat:

Eastern Cape Province, South Africa, in arid low succulent shrubland on rocky ridges and slopes. E. princeps occurs mainly on dolerite, in contrast to the very similar E. lehmannii, occurring on sandstone formations.

Conservation:

1997 IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants category V.

Historical notes:

Described in 1965 by South African botanist R. Allen Dyer.

Reference: The Cycad Pages

[Sharifa]

E. senticosus





Description:

Plants arborescent; stem 4 m tall, 30 cm diam.

Leaves 110-180 cm long, dark green, highly glossy, moderately keeled (opposing leaflets inserted at 135° on rachis); rachis yellowish, straight, stiff or gently curved, somewhat lax, not spirally twisted; petiole straight, with 1-6 prickles, spine-free for 5-20 cm; leaf-base collar not present; basal leaflets reducing to spines.

Leaflets lanceolate, strongly discolorous, overlapping downwards or not overlapping, not lobed, insertion angle acute (less than 45°); margins flat; upper margin lightly toothed (1-3 teeth); lower margin lightly toothed (1-3 teeth); median leaflets 8-18 cm long, 14-27 mm wide.

Pollen cones 3-4, narrowly ovoid, yellow, 30-60 cm long, 10 cm diam.

Seed cones 2-3, ovoid, yellow, 45 cm long, 22 cm diam.

Seeds oblong, sarcotesta red.

Distinguishing features:

Within the green-leaved species of Natal Province, this species is distinguished by the short, straight, keeled leaves often with recurved tips and the lowermost 2-4 pairs of leaflets reducing to divided prickles and leaving almost no bare petiole,the lack of woolly tomentum in the crown around newly emerging leaves, the short, narrow, well-spaced, dentate leaflets, the yellow cones with 3-4 male and 2-3 female cones per stem, the usually stalked male cones and the raised pyramidal sporophyll apices. It is distinguished from E. lebomboensis by the broader leaflets and recurved leaf tips, and bright yellow to orange-yellow cones. Stems are also longer. See also E. msinganus, another recently separated species distinguished by the shorter, slightly broader leaflets and verrucose cone scales.

Distribution and habitat:

Northern KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa and adjacent Swaziland, on rocky slopes or cliffs in dry shrubby scrub along the Lebombo Range.

Conservation:

Not listed in the 1997 IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants.

Historical notes:

Described in 1996 by South African botanist Piet Vorster. The occurrence on the Lebombo Range led to the application of the name E. lebomboensis to this species, although it has been known for many years that a distinctive variant occurred to the west of this. It was recently shown that the type of E. lebomboensis belonged to the western variant (Vorster 1995, and see E. lebomboensis), and that the eastern populations lacked a name.

Reference: The Cycad Pages

[Sharifa]

E. transvenosus

Etymology:

Latin trans, across, and venosus, veins



Description:

Plants arborescent; stem 12 m tall, 40-45 cm diam.

Leaves 150-250 cm long, dark green, highly glossy, flat (not keeled) in section (opposing leaflets inserted at 180° on rachis); rachis yellowish, straight, stiff, not spirally twisted; petiole straight, with no prickles; leaf-base collar not present; basal leaflets reducing to spines.

Leaflets lanceolate or ovate, strongly discolorous, overlapping upwards, not lobed, insertion angle horizontal; margins flat; upper margin lightly toothed (1-3 teeth); lower margin lightly toothed (1-3 teeth); median leaflets 16-25 cm long, 25-45 mm wide.

Male Cones


Pollen cones 1-4, ovoid, yellow, 30-40 cm long, 13-15 cm diam.

Female Cones


Seed cones 1-4, ovoid, yellow, 50-80 cm long, 20-30 cm diam.

Seeds oblong, 40-50 mm long, 20-27 mm wide, sarcotesta red.

Distinguishing features:

A robust, tall-growing species with glossy dark green leaves. Mature leaves are straight and flat, with broad leaflets tending to droop away from the rachis. Leaflets overlap, and carry 3-6 spines on both margins, and basal leaflets gradually reduce to prickles, although leaving some clear petiole. It is thought to be closest to E. paucidentatus, which has narrower, clearly spaced and mostly entire leaflets.

Distribution and habitat:

South Africa - northern Transvaal

Conservation:

1997 IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants category R.

Historical notes:

Described in 1926 by English botanists Otto Stapf and Joseph Burtt Davy.

Reference: The Cycad Pages

[Sharifa]

E.trispinosus

Etymology:

Latin tri-, three and spinosus, spines, from the 3-lobed leaflets.



Description:

Plants arborescent; stem 1 m tall, 25-30 cm diam.

Leaves 75-125 cm long, blue or silver, dull, slightly keeled to flat in section (opposing leaflets inserted at 150-180° on rachis); rachis blue, straight with last third sharply recurved, not spirally twisted; petiole straight, with no prickles; leaf-base collar prominent; basal leaflets not reducing to spines.

Leaflets lanceolate, weakly discolorous, not overlapping, with 1-2 lobes on upper and median leaflets, insertion angle horizontal; margins flat; upper margin entire (no teeth); lower margin entire (no teeth); median leaflets 10-18 cm long, 15-25 mm wide.

Pollen cones 1, fusiform, yellow, 25-35 cm long, 7-8 cm diam.



Seed cones 1, ovoid, yellow, 40-50 cm long, 18-20 cm diam.

Seeds oblong, 30-35 mm long, 18-20 mm wide, sarcotesta red.

Distinguishing features:

This species is close to E. horridus, from which it is distinguished by the entire lower leaflets and the yellowish cones with wrinkled facets. Leaves also tend to be less intensely blue, although this character is variable within the species and with leaf age. Leaflets of E. horridus are also twisted out of the plane of the leaf, and not so in E. trispinosus. The blue-leaved species of the Cape Province have discolorous leaves with stomata on the undersurfaces only, in contrast to the blue-leaved species of Transvaal, which all have stomata on both surfaces of the leaflets.

Distribution and habitat:

Eastern Cape Province, South Africa, in arid low succulent shrubland on rocky ridges and slopes.

Conservation:

1997 IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants category V.

Historical notes:

Described as a variety of E. horridus in 1863 by English botanist J.D. Hooker, later raised to the rank of species by South African botanist R. Allen Dyer.

Reference: The Cycad Pages

[Sharifa]

E. villosus

Etymology:

Latin villosus, softly hairy.



Description:

Plants acaulescent; stem 0.3 m tall, 30 cm diam.

Leaves 150-300 cm long, dark green, highly glossy, slightly keeled or flat in section (opposing leaflets inserted at 150-180° on rachis); rachis green, straight, stiff, not spirally twisted; petiole straight, with 6-12 prickles; leaf-base collar not present; basal leaflets reducing to spines.

Leaflets linear or lanceolate, strongly discolorous, not overlapping, not lobed, insertion angle horizontal; margins flat, or incurved; upper margin lightly toothed (1-3 teeth); lower margin lightly toothed (1-3 teeth); median leaflets 15-25 cm long, 15-20 mm wide.

Pollen cones 1-8, narrowly ovoid, yellow, 50-70 cm long, 12-15 cm diam.

Seed cones 1-4, ovoid, yellow, 30-50 cm long, 20-25 cm diam.

Seeds oblong, 25-30 mm long, 18-20 mm wide, sarcotesta red.

Male Cone


Female Cone


Distinguishing features:

The subterranean habit with long arching leaves in the crown place this species with E. cerinus and E. umbeluziensis. It is distinguished within this group by the longer, arching leaves with leaflets bearing prickles on the upper and lower margins and the lower leaflets reducing to spines on the petiole, and the woolly crown.

Distribution and habitat:

A common and widespread species extending from eastern Cape Province through Natal and into Swaziland, usually in scrub or forest understorey.

Conservation:

Not listed in the 1997 IUCN Red List of Threatened Plant

Historical notes:

Described in 1867 by Belgian botanist - Lem.

Reference: The Cycad Pages

[Sharifa]

E. woodii

Etymology:

Honoring Medley Wood, curator of the Durban Botanic gardens, who discovered this species.





Description:

Plants arborescent; stem 6 m tall, 30-50 cm diam; 50-150 leaves in crown.

Leaves 150-250 cm long, dark green, semiglossy, moderately keeled (opposing leaflets inserted at 120° on rachis), with 70-150 leaflets; rachis green, straight, stiff, slightly twisted in some leaves; petiole straight, with 1-6 prickles, spine-free for 15 cm, 10-16 mm wide at lowest leaflet; leaf-base collar not clear; basal leaflets reducing to spines.



Leaflets ovate, strongly discolorous, overlapping upwards, not lobed, insertion angle obtuse (45-80°); margins flat; upper margin entire (no teeth); lower margin lightly toothed (1-3 teeth); median leaflets 13-15 cm long, 20-30 mm wide.

Cataphylls 40 mm long.

Pollen cones 1-6, ovoid, yellow, 20-40 cm long, 15-25 cm diam. Microsporophyll lamina 50-70 mm long, 25-50 mm wide.

Distinguishing features:

A robust, tall growing species with deep green glossy leaves, leaflets held in a V and yellow cones, very closely allied to E. altensteinii, E. lebomboensis and E. woodii. E. woodii distinguished in this group by the very long leaves with a gracefully curved rachis, the very broad overlapping leaflets usually with 2-6 prickles on the upper margin, the basal leaflets not reducing to spines, leaving a bare petiole, and the dense woolly tomentum in the crown around newly emerging leaves.

Distribution and habitat:

South Africa - Natal (see Historical Notes above)

Conservation:

Extinct in the wild. Known only from male plants in cultivation, propagated from offsets. 1997 IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants status Extinct (Ex).

Historical notes:

Described in 1908 by English horticulturist -- Sander, from a single male plant found in the Ngoya Forest by Wood. This plant had several stems and offsets, all of which were removed from the wild and taken into cultivation over the decade following its discovery. No other plants have been discovered, and this species is consequently extinct in the wild and survives only in cultivation as propagations from the original discovery.

Reference: The Cycad Pages

[Lisbeth]

I like this one