OTHER CYCAD FEATURES
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ENCEPHALARTOS
TURNERI
Locality: This species is endemic
to the Nampula and Niassa provinces of Mozambique.
This species grows in a climate that is hot and dry.
E. turneri grows on hills in grasslands and
fragmented woods (primarily in the sun, but some are
semi-protected). The soil is rocky and dry,
plants can be found in rocky outcroppings and boulders.
This species is fairly plentiful and is showing no signs
of going extinct. This can be partially attributed
to the remote locality and difficulty in accessing this
plant in habitat.
Plant Size: This is a
medium sized species. The leaves of this species
are between one and a half to two meters in length.
The stems can get fairly large, reaching about three
meters on very old specimens. This species can
produce basal suckers, but does not make large clusters.
Other Characteristics: The
species is named after Ian Turner (a prominent cycad
enthusiast) who provided specimens and field notes which
were invaluable for naming/describing this species. (The
Cycads, Encephalartos turneri, Whitelock & Benadom)
Upon cursory inspection, this plant bears some
similarity to Encephalartos sclavoi (from
Tanzania), but are without question separate species.
E. turneri's leaflets are quite attractive;
they are concave, elliptical in shape with a slight hook
at the proximal tip. The leaflets and petioles are
moderately armed in spines and prickles. making them
semi-sharp to the touch. The upper part of the
stem and the petioles are often covered in a buff (color
can vary a bit) colored tomentum, which is most
prevalent when the plant first flushes. It is
quite rare to see this plant in cultivation. There
was a large collection of seed in the 90's, but no seed
has been collected since. It is unclear if or when
domestic seed will become available, though at some
point I think it will happen. Both the male and
female cones on this species are a yellow or
golden/yellow color as they age.
Culture: In coastal in inland
areas, this species does well in both full and partial
sun. For desert areas, I recommend putting this
species in filtered light. This species does
require a soil that drains well.
Landscape Usage:
This is a very attractive green species.
Ancient plants can get large, but this is not a
realistic expectation in cultivation. Their crowns
are full , symmetrical and are fairly upright.
I recommend giving this species some room to grow and
showing them off in the midlevel plantings of your
garden.
Availability: We,
on occasion, have this species for sale. It is
super rare and hard to find. Presently we only
have plants with some age and no seedlings. Seeds
have not been available lately. Give us a a call
or email about the size you seek.
Pricing:
Encephalartos turneri is a very
rare species and tends to be expensive for a green leafed
species.
Examples of prices are listed below.
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