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Encephalartos ghellinckii
Also called Mont Aux Sources Cycad
Encephalartos ghellinckii Lem. or Drakensberg cycad is endemic to South Africa, and is one of about 70 species found in sub-Saharan Africa. Strongly associated with the Natal Drakensberg, this 3m tall evergreen species is found from the foothills to fairly high elevations, growing on stream banks, steep grassy slopes and sandstone outcrops. Its preferred habitat lying within grassveld, it has developed resistance to veldfires, and also the intense cold brought on by snow and frost.
It is found in three distinct and separate areas in KwaZulu-Natal and northern Transkei. Plants from the high-elevation areas are more robust and usually have a fire-scarred base. The low elevation plants, such as those near the Umkomaas River, are stunted or dwarf-like and may have up to five trunks, often blackened by grass fires, which are thought to stimulate leaf and cone production. The plants growing in tall grassveld are usually spindly with tall stems, and have a tendency to lean over, often becoming quite procumbent.
Cycad · Eastern Cape giant cycad · Cycad · Alexandria cycad · Cycad · Escarpment cycad · Lake Natron Cycad · Cycad · Chimanimani cycad · Runde cycad · Cycad · Winterberg Cycad
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Encephalartos ghellinckii by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts are shared under the same licence.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
