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Species library › Encephalartos › Encephalartos humilis
Other Little published: much of this is inferred from related species

Encephalartos humilis

A dwarf cycad from Mpumalanga in South Africa (part of the former Transvaal), with an underground stem up to 50 cm long and a crown of 5–8 leaves, each 30–50 cm. It is a slow, grassland species that tolerates frost and wants sun, summer water and a dry winter. It is listed in CITES Appendix I, so plants must come from legal, documented sources.

Encephalartos humilis
Photo: Andrew Hankey, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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

Grassland and rocky slopes in the mountains. Being subterranean, the stem survives the winter fires and frosts of this habitat; habitat details are inferred from the genus and region.

Few records carry an elevation. The only measured site lies at 1361 m.

South AfricaMpumalangaNorthern Provinces

🔒 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 CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, unmodified.