Encephalartos altensteinii
Bushman's River cycad
Family ZamiaceaeAlso called Eastern Cape giant cycad, Breadtree
About
Encephalartos altensteinii, the Eastern Cape giant cycad or breadtree, is a tall, palm-like cycad endemic to South Africa. A specimen at Kew, which arrived in 1775, is regarded as the oldest potted plant in the world.
Care at a glance
- Pet safety
- Not recorded. We have no source on whether this plant is safe for cats, dogs or other pets — that is not the same as safe. Keep it out of reach until you have checked.
- People
- The cones are poisonous to humans.
- Mature size
- Up to 7 m tall with leaves up to 3 m long.
Field notes
Morphology
Grows up to 7 m tall, branched or single-stemmed. Leaves up to 3 m long carry stiff, broad leaflets with one or both edges toothed; unlike E. natalensis there are no prickles at the leaf base. Two to five greenish-yellow cones up to 50 cm long are produced, and the seeds are scarlet, up to 4 cm long.
Distribution & habitat
Widespread in the Eastern Cape and south-western KwaZulu-Natal, mostly near the coast in open scrub, rocky slopes, valley forest and river banks, with isolated inland sites in the Amatola Mountains.
History & etymology
Named after Altenstein, a 19th-century German chancellor and patron of science. Also known as broodboom and, in Zulu, uJobane.
Conservation
Listed as Vulnerable because of habitat destruction, harvesting for traditional medicine and removal by collectors.
Habitat
- Altitude
- Not recorded
- Altitude class
- —
- Native to
- South Africa
- IUCN status
- Vulnerable
Cultivation
- Difficulty
- Not recorded
Text adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
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