OTHER CYCAD FEATURES
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ENCEPHALARTOS TRISPINOSUS
Locality: Native to the Easter
Cape region of South Africa, this is a small to medium sized cycad from regions dominated by
dry costal scrub to low lying flat lands which have very little
precipitation. Often they are found in rocky terrain or
cliffs paired with Aloes and native brush.
Plant Size: This cycad is of diminutive
size, rarely exceeding a meter. Leaves are of comparable
size, giving an overall height of two meters on large mature
specimens.
Other Characteristics: There are many
fascinating characteristics about this plant. Primarily,
it is one of the most variable Encephalartos there are.
For many decades, taxonomists had difficulty describing this
species because of their extreme phenotypic variability.
Generally this is a "blue" cycad (which is more of a white color
than blue), though they can be green as well! They also
tend to be spiny, with three prominent spines, which is where
the name comes from "tri-" (three) and "spinosus" (spines).
This trait is also variable as some are "spineless" possessing
only one spines at the tip of the leaf, where others are more
spiny. Female cones are a greyish-green color and male
cone are a pale to bright yellow color.
Culture: Along the coast this species
tolerates full sun or part day sun. It easily withstands a
freeze and has an absolute cold tolerance down to about 20-22
degrees F. It prefers good draining soil - and should be
mounded if your soil is heavy or clay. It can easily be grown
on the patio if given adequate light. Desert areas in
California can grow this species in sun, but areas like Arizona
should grow them under protection/filtered light.
Landscape Usage: This species should be
showcased as it has beautiful color and often have striking leaf
shape. I would recommend planting these where you can
control the water, which doesn't inherently exclude tropical
landscapes (you just need to plan as regards protection from
water). I would plant this species in the foreground so it
can be adequately appreciated, but far enough from a walkway so
as not to get poked.
Availability: We
typically can offer sizes from seedlings or small plants up to
coning sized specimens. At any given time we should have
at least a hundred of this species available. The sizes
from bands up to 15g can be easily mail ordered. Larger
plants can be delivered by truck.
Pricing:
Encephalartos trispinosus is a
rare South African species. Blue cycads tend to be more
expensive than green varieties, but this species is somewhat affordable.
Examples of prices are listed below.
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