Encephalartos horridus
Encyclopedia
The Eastern Cape Blue Cycad (Encephalartos horridus) is a small, low-growing cycad
up to 0.9m (3 ft) high and 0.9m (3 ft) wide. It is a native of Eastern Cape Province, South Africa
, and found in arid shrublands, most commonly on ridges and slopes with shallow soils. The species is particularly known for its distinctly blue-gray leaves, although the degree of coloration can vary significantly. The species name
horridus is Latin
for 'bristly', after the plant's stiff, spiny leaflet
s.
Cones are usually brownish- or blackish-red and single with a dense layer of fine hair. Both male and female cones are produced. The female cone is egg-shaped and up to 40cm (16 inches) long and 20cm (8 inches) in diameter while the male cone is largely cylindrical narrowing towards the ends up to 40 cm long (16 inches) and 12cm (5 inches) in diameter. Seeds are roughly triangular with three flattened surfaces.
In the wild there is evidence of distinct variation within the species, including a possible 'dwarf' form found around Port Elizabeth
.
districts of Eastern Cape, South Africa, which has a warm climate year round, average annual rainfall in the range of 250mm (10 inches) to 600mm (25 inches) and summer temperatures up to 40 °C (104 °F). It prefers full sunlight and persists in a range of habitats including Karoo scrub
, sourveld, deep fertile soil and open rocky ridges.
Eastern Cape Blue Cycads are now available as a result of commercial distribution in nurseries and gardens throughout the world.
s, baboon
s and certain insect
s. Although the Eastern Cape Blue Cycad can reproduce by suckering
, more commonly reproduction requires insect pollination. Once seed cones have been pollinated seeds are spread by animals that eat the fleshy cones.
by the 2003 IUCN Red List
, a change from its vulnerable
listing in the 1997 IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants. Historically it was over-collected in the wild but widespread availability in commercial nurseries has reduced some of this pressure.
. It is best suited to temperate and subtropical regions, however it can tolerate light to moderate frosts. It requires full sun, excellent drainage, not too much water and slightly acidic soil to prosper. It is common for the species to form new leaves and cones regularly. Plants are available from nurseries in many areas, however they are also easy to propagate from seed
s. They can also be propagated from suckers with some patience and experience.
Cycad
Cycads are seed plants typically characterized by a stout and woody trunk with a crown of large, hard and stiff, evergreen leaves. They usually have pinnate leaves. The individual plants are either all male or all female . Cycads vary in size from having a trunk that is only a few centimeters...
up to 0.9m (3 ft) high and 0.9m (3 ft) wide. It is a native of Eastern Cape Province, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, and found in arid shrublands, most commonly on ridges and slopes with shallow soils. The species is particularly known for its distinctly blue-gray leaves, although the degree of coloration can vary significantly. The species name
Binomial nomenclature
Binomial nomenclature is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin grammatical forms, although they can be based on words from other languages...
horridus is Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
for 'bristly', after the plant's stiff, spiny leaflet
Leaflet
A leaflet in botany is a part of a compound leaf. A leaflet may resemble an entire leaf, but it is not borne on a stem as a leaf is, but rather on a vein of the whole leaf. Compound leaves are common in many plant families...
s.
Identification
Mature plants have big stems of between 0.5-1m (20-50 inches) in length and 20-30cm (8-12 inches) in diameter with the majority of the stem growing below ground. Leaves are up to 1m (50 inches) long and often sharply recurved towards the tip, looking stiff and spiny. Younger leaves are a silvery-blue colour but turn green with age.Cones are usually brownish- or blackish-red and single with a dense layer of fine hair. Both male and female cones are produced. The female cone is egg-shaped and up to 40cm (16 inches) long and 20cm (8 inches) in diameter while the male cone is largely cylindrical narrowing towards the ends up to 40 cm long (16 inches) and 12cm (5 inches) in diameter. Seeds are roughly triangular with three flattened surfaces.
In the wild there is evidence of distinct variation within the species, including a possible 'dwarf' form found around Port Elizabeth
Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape
Port Elizabeth is one of the largest cities in South Africa, situated in the Eastern Cape Province, east of Cape Town. The city, often shortened to PE and nicknamed "The Friendly City" or "The Windy City", stretches for 16 km along Algoa Bay, and is one of the major seaports in South Africa...
.
Distribution
Naturally occurring Eastern Cape Blue Cycads can only be found around Port Elizabeth and UitenhageUitenhage
Uitenhage is a South African town with 275,185 inhabitants in the Eastern Cape Province. It is well known for the Volkswagen factory located there, which is the biggest car factory on the African continent. The town's name is pronounced by English speakers and in Afrikaans...
districts of Eastern Cape, South Africa, which has a warm climate year round, average annual rainfall in the range of 250mm (10 inches) to 600mm (25 inches) and summer temperatures up to 40 °C (104 °F). It prefers full sunlight and persists in a range of habitats including Karoo scrub
Karoo
The Karoo is a semi-desert region of South Africa. It has two main sub-regions - the Great Karoo in the north and the Little Karoo in the south. The 'High' Karoo is one of the distinct physiographic provinces of the larger South African Platform division.-Great Karoo:The Great Karoo has an area of...
, sourveld, deep fertile soil and open rocky ridges.
Eastern Cape Blue Cycads are now available as a result of commercial distribution in nurseries and gardens throughout the world.
Ecology
Cycads have few natural enemies, however in the wild they can be subject to predation from animals such as porcupinePorcupine
Porcupines are rodents with a coat of sharp spines, or quills, that defend or camouflage them from predators. They are indigenous to the Americas, southern Asia, and Africa. Porcupines are the third largest of the rodents, behind the capybara and the beaver. Most porcupines are about long, with...
s, baboon
Baboon
Baboons are African and Arabian Old World monkeys belonging to the genus Papio, part of the subfamily Cercopithecinae. There are five species, which are some of the largest non-hominoid members of the primate order; only the mandrill and the drill are larger...
s and certain insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s. Although the Eastern Cape Blue Cycad can reproduce by suckering
Basal shoot
A basal shoot, root sprout, adventitious shoot, water sprout or sucker is a shoot or cane which grows from a bud at the base of a tree or shrub or from its roots. This shoot then becomes, or takes the form of, a singular plant. A plant that produces suckers is referred to as surculose...
, more commonly reproduction requires insect pollination. Once seed cones have been pollinated seeds are spread by animals that eat the fleshy cones.
Conservation status
This cycad is listed as an endangered speciesEndangered species
An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...
by the 2003 IUCN Red List
IUCN Red List
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species , founded in 1963, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biological species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature is the world's main authority on the conservation status of species...
, a change from its vulnerable
Vulnerable species
On 30 January 2010, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 9694 Vulnerable species, subspecies and varieties, stocks and sub-populations.-References:...
listing in the 1997 IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants. Historically it was over-collected in the wild but widespread availability in commercial nurseries has reduced some of this pressure.
Cultivation and propagation
Like all cycads, the Eastern Cape Blue Cycad is a slow grower. It responds well to deep, fertile soil enriched with compostCompost
Compost is organic matter that has been decomposed and recycled as a fertilizer and soil amendment. Compost is a key ingredient in organic farming. At its most essential, the process of composting requires simply piling up waste outdoors and waiting for the materials to break down from anywhere...
. It is best suited to temperate and subtropical regions, however it can tolerate light to moderate frosts. It requires full sun, excellent drainage, not too much water and slightly acidic soil to prosper. It is common for the species to form new leaves and cones regularly. Plants are available from nurseries in many areas, however they are also easy to propagate from seed
Seed
A seed is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant...
s. They can also be propagated from suckers with some patience and experience.