''Encephalartos latifrons'' (known as the Albany Cycad) is a very rare

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

cycad Cycads are seed plants that typically have a stout and woody (ligneous) trunk (botany), trunk with a crown (botany), crown of large, hard, stiff, evergreen and (usually) pinnate leaves. The species are dioecious, that is, individual plants o ...

that is native to

Eastern Cape The Eastern Cape ( ; ) is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, and its largest city is Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth). Due to its climate and nineteenth-century towns, it is a common location for tourists. It is also kno ...

province in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

at elevations of .

Description

This is a tall, tree-like cycad plant with a stem that can be upright or lying down, reaching up to in height and in diameter. Its bright green, feather-like leaves grow in a cluster at the top of the trunk, each leaf being long and supported by a long stalk that curves downward. The leaves are made up of many pairs of large, leathery leaflets, each up to long, arranged at a sharp angle along the central leaf spine, partially overlapping, and with the lower edges having 3-4 triangular lobes. This plant is

dioecious Dioecy ( ; ; adj. dioecious, ) is a characteristic of certain species that have distinct unisexual individuals, each producing either male or female gametes, either directly (in animals) or indirectly (in seed plants). Dioecious reproduction is ...

, meaning it has separate male and female specimens. Male plants have 1-3 short, cylindrical cones that are about long and wide, olive-green in color. Female plants have 1-3 upright, cylindrical cones that are about long and wide, also olive green, with macrosporophylls about long. The seeds are roughly egg-shaped, long, and covered with dark red

sarcotesta The sarcotesta is a fleshy seedcoat, a type of testa. Examples of seeds with a sarcotesta are pomegranate, ginkgo ''Ginkgo'' is a genus of non-flowering seed plants, assigned to the gymnosperms. The scientific name is also used as the Eng ...

Habitat and distribution

''E. latifrons'' occurs (or, more correctly, used to occur) in scattered groups in the districts of Bathurst and Albany in the Eastern Cape province. The plants grow on rocky outcrops and hill slopes, usually amongst scrub bush vegetation. The rainfall ranges from 1000mm to 1250mm per year, on average, and is fairly evenly distributed during the year. Frost does not occur. Summers may be hot and fairly dry. There existed an early report of ''E. latifrons'' occurring in the

Uitenhage Uitenhage ( ; ), officially renamed Kariega, is a South African town in the Eastern Cape Province. It is well known for the Volkswagen factory located there, which is the biggest car factory on the African continent. Along with the city of Port El ...

district, but this was almost certainly a mistake, possibly as a result of incorrect labelling.

Conservation

In August 2014, thirteen ''Encephalartos latifrons'' cycads were stolen from

Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens Kirstenbosch is a botanical garden nestled at the eastern foot of Table Mountain in Cape Town. The garden is one of 10 National Botanical Gardens covering five of South Africa's six different biomes and administered by the South African Natio ...

Cape Town Cape Town is the legislature, legislative capital city, capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. Cape Town is the country's List of municipalities in South Africa, second-largest ...

, South Africa. The estimated value of all thirteen was at least R200,000 (US18,675). The plants were planted over 100 years ago as part of a research and reproduction programme of this particular species of ''Encephalartos'' that no longer naturally reproduces in the wild. ''Encephalartos'' is highly valued as a garden or ornamental plant in many parts of the world and it is thought the plants were stolen to be sold on the black market.

Threats

Today ''Encephalartos latifrons'' only exists in areas used for

pineapple The pineapple (''Ananas comosus'') is a Tropical vegetation, tropical plant with an edible fruit; it is the most economically significant plant in the family Bromeliaceae. The pineapple is indigenous to South America, where it has been culti ...

and

chicory Common chicory (''Cichorium intybus'') is a somewhat woody, perennial herbaceous plant of the family Asteraceae, usually with bright blue flowers, rarely white or pink. Native to Europe, it has been introduced to the Americas and Australia. M ...

farming and

livestock Livestock are the Domestication, domesticated animals that are raised in an Agriculture, agricultural setting to provide labour and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, Egg as food, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The t ...

rearing. Historical photos indicate the disappearance of plants at several sites by 1996, possibly due to land use changes. The primary threat to the species is the trade in cycads, driven by its rarity. The removal of mature plants is a significant risk, as the species heavily relies on adult survival, and the extinction of natural pollinators and a lack of recent seed production add to its challenges.

References

External links

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q3724980 latifrons