Encephalartos
Family: Zamiaceae
Habitat: Equatorial and South Africa
Cultivation: Choose a very bright location but sheltered from direct sunlight. Keep at high temperatures even in winter, and use a fertile and very draining growing medium.
Curiosity: The genus name derives from the Greek words en (inside), kephali (head), artos (bread), literally ‘bread in the head’, because edible food for humans is obtained from the stem of some trees of this genus. For the same reason, some species are called ‘bread trees’.
KEY FEATURES
The genus Encephalartos comprises many species of Zamiaceae distributed in various areas of Africa, among different habitats.
Given the variability of the areas of origin, the different species are also very diverse, especially in terms of size: they range from 15 cm high seedlings to true trees of up to 15 metres.
The shape is typical of the zamiaceae: woody stems that tend to be short (in some species they are not visible because they remain buried), often unbranched, from the top of which depart long stems bearing pairs of opposite, almost fern-like leaves.
They form long pines, both male and female.
Among the different Encephalartos species there are some that have always been used for food and feed and are therefore called by names such as ‘breadfruit tree’ or similar: the edible part is the inner pulp at the top of the trunk.
They are very ancient plants. Several species are threatened with extinction, partly because they are also over-exploited in the preparation of traditional cures.
VARIETY AND TYPES
Here are the Encephalartos species recognised to date:
Encephalartos aemulans
E. altensteinii
E. aplanatus
E. arenarius
E. barteri
E. brevifoliolatus
E. bubalinus
E. caffer
E. calsloanii
E. cerinus
E. chimanimaniensis
E. concinnus
E. cupidus
E. cycadifolius
E. delucanus
E. dolomiticus
E. dyerianus
E. equatorialis
E. eugene-maraisii
E. ferox
E. friderici-guilielmi
E. ghellinckii
E. gratus
E. heenanii
E. hildebrandtii
E. hirsutus
E. horridus
E. humilis
E. inopinus
E. ituriensis
E. kisambo
E. laevifolius
E. lanatus
E. latifrons
E. laurentianus
E. lebomboensis
E. lehmannii
E. longifolius
E. mackenziei
E. macrostrobilus
E. manikensis
E. marunguensis
E. middelburgensis
E. msinganus
E. munchii
E. natalensis
E. ngoyanus
E. nubimontanus
E. paucidentatus
E. poggei
E. princeps
E. pterogonus
E. relictus
E. schaijesii
E. schmitzii
E. sclavoi
E. senticosus
E. septentrionalis
E. tegulaneus
E. transvenosus
E. trispinosus
E. turneri
E. umbeluziensis
E. villosus
E. whitelockii
E. woodii
TIPS FOR GROWING
Here are our cultivation tips:
- EXPOSURE: Choose a position that is very bright but sheltered from direct sunlight (with significant differences depending on the individual species).
- TEMPERATURE: Always keep the plant above 8-10°C. Some plants can also withstand temperatures of 2-3°C, but only for short periods. The ideal temperature is between 20°C and 26°C.
- WATERING: Water abundantly in spring and summer every 2-3 days, decreasing and frequency in autumn and winter depending on the temperature. Never let the soil dry out completely.
- SOIL: Choose a standard potting soil for green plants as long as it is very draining.
- FERTILIZATION: Fertilise every month during the vegetative period with a standard leaf plant compost but rich in micronutrients.
- POTTING: Potting requirements vary greatly according to the species.
- REPRODUCTION: They reproduce mainly by seed.
