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Species library › Encephalartos › Encephalartos kisambo
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Encephalartos kisambo

The Voi cycad is a stout-trunked, endangered cycad from steep hills on the Kenya–Tanzania border, growing in misty forest and on drier rocky slopes at about 800–1,350 m. It wants warm days, mild nights, bright light and a sharply draining mix, with a drier spell in the cooler months.

Encephalartos kisambo
Photo: C T Johansson, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
At home, aim for
Day IntermediateTargets in Plantistry
Night A clear drop at nightTargets in Plantistry
Humidity Ordinary room humidityBand in Plantistry
Light Bright, filtered lightDLI and PPFD in Plantistry
Expects a seasonal restGrows in the ground

Where it grows wild

Grows on steep hillsides in misty and cloud forest, with some plants on drier rocky slopes and cliffs. An arborescent cycad with a barrel-shaped trunk 1.2–2 m tall.

Recorded at 800–1,361 m (median 1,025 m); about 800–1,050 m in the Maungu Hills and 1,000–1,300 m on Mount Kanga.

KenyaTanzania

🔒 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.