Sign in Start free
Species library › Encephalartos › Encephalartos hirsutus
Other Partly documented

Encephalartos hirsutus

A critically endangered tree cycad, possibly extinct in the wild, from quartzite cliffs in the Makuya area of Limpopo bordering the Kruger National Park. It grows to 4 m with 1.1 to 1.4 m leaves; in cultivation it needs hot summers with rain, a dry winter and very sharp drainage.

Encephalartos hirsutus
Photo: C T Johansson, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
At home, aim for
Day IntermediateTargets 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 on rock (lithophyte)

Where it grows wild

South-east-facing quartzite cliffs in dry bushveld in the Makuya Nature Reserve.

800 to 1000 m in the wild; the measured climate site at 1543 m is a garden near Pretoria.

Limpopo

🔒 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

Grow Encephalartos hirsutus? Add it to a free garden and its full profile opens. Pro opens all 38,374 profiles in the library, plants and fungi.

Start free Sign in

More Encephalartos

Encephalartos woodii Encephalartos afer Encephalartos ferox Encephalartos kisambo Encephalartos senticosus Encephalartos whitelockii Encephalartos altensteinii Encephalartos ghellinckii Encephalartos horridus Encephalartos latifrons Encephalartos lebomboensis Encephalartos friderici-guilielmi All 65 →

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 CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, unmodified.