About
Encephalartos horridus, the Eastern Cape blue cycad, is a low, spiny cycad about 0.9 m high, known for its blue-grey leaves. It comes from arid shrubland in the Eastern Cape and is widely sold by nurseries.
Care at a glance
- Pet safety
- Not recorded. We have no source on whether this plant is safe for cats, dogs or other pets — that is not the same as safe. Keep it out of reach until you have checked.
- People
- Not recorded.
- Light
- Full sun.
- Water
- Water sparingly; it does not want too much water.
- Temperature
- Suited to temperate and subtropical climates.
- Soil
- Deep, fertile, slightly acidic soil enriched with compost, with excellent drainage.
- Propagation
- Easily raised from seed; can also be grown from suckers with patience and experience.
- Growth rate
- Slow.
- Mature size
- About 0.9 m high and 0.9 m wide.
- Hardiness
- Tolerates light to moderate frosts.
Field notes
Morphology
The stem, up to 1 m long, is mostly underground. Stiff leaves up to 1 m long are often sharply recurved at the tip, with spiny leaflets; young leaves are silvery blue and turn green. Single, hairy cones are brownish or blackish red, up to 40 cm long.
Distribution & habitat
Around Port Elizabeth and Uitenhage in the Eastern Cape, on ridges and slopes with shallow soils in Karoo scrub and sourveld, where rainfall is 250–600 mm and summers reach 40 °C.
Ecology
Insects pollinate the cones; animals eating the seed coat spread the seeds. Porcupines, baboons and some insects feed on it. It can also spread by suckers.
Cultivation notes
Slow-growing and suited to temperate and subtropical gardens. Needs full sun, sharp drainage, modest watering and deep, fertile, slightly acidic soil with compost. Tolerates light to moderate frost. Grown easily from seed, or from suckers with experience.
History & etymology
The epithet horridus is Latin for bristly, referring to the stiff, spiny leaflets.
Conservation
Listed as endangered on the 2003 IUCN Red List. Wild plants were over-collected, but nursery supply has eased the pressure.
Habitat
- Altitude
- Not recorded
- Altitude class
- —
- Native to
- South Africa
Cultivation
- Difficulty
- Not recorded
- Temperature
- Suited to temperate and subtropical climates.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
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