OTHER CYCAD FEATURES
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by the late Ken Hill
by unknown author, flikr
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ENCEPHALARTOS
NUBIMONTANUS
Locality: This species is endemic to the
Limpopo province, South Africa. It can be found at
high elevations in the mountains (around one thousand
meters), in low deciduous forest and precipitous slopes
and cliff (in partial and full sun). The species
is almost gone in the wild, populations are small and
scattered.
Plant Size: This is
a small to medium sized species/. Leaf length can
range between one to two meters, and stems can reach a
height of two and a half to three meters with ancient
plants. I have never observed this species (with
any degree of maturity) without basal suckers to one
extent or another. Generally speaking more mature
specimens will make multiple pups.
Other Characteristics:
The name 'nubi-montanus' is derived from
the Latin words 'nubilus' meaning "blue-grey" (in
reference to leaflet color) and 'montanus' meaning "from
the mountains". It is among the species located in
the Transvaal region of South Africa, and is highly
sought after. This species has beautiful leaves.
As the name would suggest, the leaves tend to be a
bluish gray, but they can vary in that color from a
blue/green color to a powdery white and everything
in-between. The leaflets and petioles are mildly
armed and can be almost completely unarmed in some
cases. This species is a good grower, but is not
what I would classify as a fast plant. Among the
other Transvaal species is would fall somewhere in the
middle as regards rate of growth and rarity/ Both
male and female cones are a yellow, green color with a
hint of blue (though this can vary).
Culture: In
coastal and inland areas, this plant prefers full sun,
but can tolerate partial sun. For desert areas, I
could recommend partial sun or filtered light.
This species does require good drainage and does not
like being excessively wet. I would recommend mound
planting this species for gardens with regular
irrigation.
Landscape Usage: This
is a very attractive species and will add rarity and
color to any landscape. As it is a smaller species
(which can get size after many decades) it is better set
more in the foreground of any planting. It does require
some room (a meter to a meter and a half of space)
Availability: We
occasionally have this super rare species for sale.
Sometimes we have seedlings and rarely we'll get a
larger plant from a private collection. Although
hard to find, this is definitely a species worthy of the
collector.
Pricing:
Encephalartos nubimontanus is always expensive,
either as a small or large plant. Of the Transvaal
species, except for E. dolomiticus, it is felt
to be one of the hardest to acquire. Typical
prices, when available, are shown below.
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