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Species library › Encephalartos › Encephalartos lehmannii
Other Partly documented

Encephalartos lehmannii

The Karoo cycad, a slow, silver-blue cycad to about 2 m from dry sandstone ridges in the Eastern Cape. It is one of the most drought-tolerant Encephalartos and needs full sun and sharp drainage; it is CITES Appendix I, so only legally propagated plants should be grown.

Encephalartos lehmannii
Photo: JMK, CC BY-SA 3.0, 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

Dry sandstone slopes and ridges among low succulent herbs and shrubs in semi-arid Karoo scrub.

No usable wild elevations; the inland record is modelled at about 125 m.

Eastern CapeSouth Africa

🔒 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.