Encephalartos natalensis
Natal cycad
Family ZamiaceaeAlso called Natal giant cycad
About
Encephalartos natalensis, the Natal giant cycad, is a large cycad endemic to KwaZulu-Natal and the northern Eastern Cape, South Africa.
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
- Not recorded.
- Mature size
- Up to 6 m or more; leaves up to 3 m long.
Field notes
Morphology
Grows 6 m or more, often leaning, with one or several trunks. Leaves up to 3 m long carry dark green leaflets about 6 cm wide, smooth or with small prickles; spines replace the lowest leaflets, which separates it from E. altensteinii. Male cones are velvety, about 45 cm long, shedding pollen from April to June.
Distribution & habitat
Qumbu and Tabankulu in the Eastern Cape and much of KwaZulu-Natal, up to 1,200 m but rarely near the coast, on rocky outcrops, south-facing cliffs and steep forest slopes, for example below Howick Falls.
Ecology
Leopard magpie moth larvae eat the leaves. Monkeys, baboons, bats and trumpeter hornbills eat the fruit flesh but drop the poisonous seeds, spreading them.
Conservation
Listed as Vulnerable on the current IUCN Red List (an earlier assessment, still cited by Wikipedia, rated it Near Threatened). Threats include removal by collectors and bark stripping for herbal medicine; numbers are thought to be falling, with around 10,000 mature plants.
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.
Crossed E. natalensis with another species?Register the cross. If it's not documented yet you'll be the first contributor; if someone already registered it, you'll be taken there to add your photo.