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Encephalartos natalensis
Also called Natal Cycad, Giant Cycad
Encephalartos natalensis is a tall, palm-like cycad from South Africa, growing to 6 m or more with a rosette of long, dark green leaves, and it is grown mainly in large subtropical gardens. It is a slow, long-lived plant that is not commonly sold as a houseplant.
Encephalartos natalensis, the Natal cycad or giant cycad, is a species of cycad that is endemic to the Qumbu and Tabankulu areas of the northern part of the Eastern Cape, and through most of KwaZulu-Natal. The number of mature individuals of this species is declining and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being "near threatened".
This cycad is endemic to South Africa. It occurs in the Qumbu and Tabankulu areas of the Eastern Cape Province, and in a large part of KwaZulu-Natal, including the catchment areas of the Mkuze River and the Umfolozi River. It is found at altitudes of up to 1,200 m (4,000 ft), but seldom close to the coast. It grows on rocky outcrops, south-facing cliffs or steep scarp slopes in forests. An easy place to see this species is in the gorge below the Howick Falls, where its palm-like fronds contrast with the surrounding broad-leaved trees. Another location is the Valley of a Thousand Hills, where a group of the trees has been declared a "national monument".
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 natalensis by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
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.
