Species library › Encephalartos › Encephalartos cycadifolius

Encephalartos cycadifolius

A dwarf, suckering cycad with a mostly underground stem and fine pinnate leaves, from high grassland in the Winterberg mountains of the Eastern Cape. It is one of the most cold-hardy cycads, taking frost and occasional snow. It needs full sun, summer water and a cold, dry winter.

At home, aim for

Day Cool-growingTargets in Plantistry

Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry

Humidity Dry airBand in Plantistry

Light Full sunDLI and PPFD in Plantistry

Expects a seasonal restGrows in the ground

Where it grows wild

Montane grassland on rocky slopes at 1,200 to 1,800 m, where it grows in full sun among grasses and burns with them in periodic fires.

1,200 to 1,800 m in the Winterberg; some measured sites are lower.

Eastern Cape

🔒 Growing it like that

The wild conditions above, turned into targets for a shelf, a tent or a greenhouse. The full profile has:

✓ Day and night temperature targets, and the limits it tolerates

✓ Humidity band, and how to hold it

✓ Light as DLI and PPFD for a grow light

✓ Wet and dry seasons, and whether to rest it

✓ Substrate and airflow

✓ A step-by-step setup to grow it like the wild

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Profiles are drafts built from measured range and climate and from published sources; each section carries its own confidence in the app. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, used under its Public domain licence, unmodified.