Drakensberg cycad

Drakensberg cycad on a hillside Drakensberg cycad on a hillsidePrint factsheet Facts - Kingdom Plantae Phylum Tracheophyta Class Cycadopsida Order Cycadales Family Zamiaceae Genus Encephalartos (1) Size Stem length: up to 3 m (2) More

The Drakensberg cycad takes its common name from the stunning South African mountain range on which it is found. A medium-sized plant, the thick stems of the Drakensberg cycad are usually around one metre tall, but older stems may reach up to three metres in length, at which point they tend to lean over, sometimes becoming almost horizontal (2) (4). At lower elevations in the Eastern Province, specimens tend to be smaller and less robust than those higher up in the mountains (2) (5). More