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Species library › Encephalartos › Encephalartos laurentianus
Other Partly documented

Encephalartos laurentianus

The malele is a giant cycad from the Kwango River valley on the Angola–DR Congo border. Its stems can reach 15 m long and 1 m thick, and it is often called the fastest-growing cycad, with several leaf flushes a year. It needs constant warmth, high humidity and ample water, a hot dry season, and a great deal of space.

Encephalartos laurentianus
Photo: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
At home, aim for
Day Warm-growingTargets 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

It grows along the Kwango River, on riverbanks and in the edges of riverine forest. It has multiple stems, upright or prostrate, and is the classic giant river-valley Encephalartos.

Lowland river valley. The measured site is at about 480 m.

AngolaDR Congo

🔒 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 3.0 licence, unmodified.