''Encephalartos altensteinii'' is a species of

palm Palm most commonly refers to: * Palm of the hand, the central region of the front of the hand * Palm plants, of family Arecaceae ** List of Arecaceae genera **Palm oil * Several other plants known as "palm" Palm or Palms may also refer to: Music ...

-like

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 ...

in the family Zamiaceae. It is endemic to

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 ...

. The species name ''altensteinii'' commemorates Altenstein, a 19th-century German chancellor and patron of science. It is commonly known as the breadtree, broodboom, Eastern Cape giant cycad or uJobane ( Zulu).Palmer, E. and Pitman, N. ''Trees of Southern Africa''. Cape Town (1972). It is listed as vulnerable due to

habitat destruction Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss or habitat reduction) occurs when a natural habitat is no longer able to support its native species. The organisms once living there have either moved elsewhere, or are dead, leading to a decrease ...

, use for traditional medicine and removal by collectors.

Description

This cycad grows up to tall and may be branched or unbranched. The leaves are straight or curved backwards and up to in length. The leaflets are rigid and fairly broad with one or both margins toothed. There are no prickles at the base of the leaf which distinguishes it from ''E. natalensis''. There are usually two to five greenish-yellow cones up to long, the female scales covered with protuberances. The cones are poisonous to humans. The seeds are scarlet and up to long.

Distribution and habitat

This species is widespread in the Eastern Cape and south-western KwaZulu-Natal provinces of

. It favours sites near the coast including open scrub, steep rocky slopes, evergreen forests in valleys and river banks. It also occurs inland at a higher altitude in isolated sites in the Amatola Mountains. The individual growing in the

Palm House Palm house is a term sometimes used for large and high heated display greenhouses that specialise in growing arecaceae, palms and other tropical and subtropical plants. In Victorian era, Victorian Britain, several ornate glass and iron palm house ...

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. An internationally important botanical research and education institution, it employs 1,10 ...

, UK is considered to be the oldest potted plant in the world, having arrived there in 1775. Other individuals have also reached a great age, with the one in Lednice Greenhouse, Czech Republic estimated to be 300 to 600 years old.

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q149321 altensteinii Endemic flora of the Cape Provinces Plants used in traditional African medicine Taxa named by Johann Georg Christian Lehmann