''Encephalartos inopinus'' is a
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), ...
of
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 ...
(Family
Zamiaceae
The Zamiaceae are a family of cycads that are superficially palm or fern-like. They are divided into two subfamilies with eight genera and about 150 species in the tropical and subtropical regions of Africa, Australia and North and South America. ...
)
that is native to
Limpopo Province
Limpopo () is the northernmost province of South Africa. It is named after the Limpopo River, which forms the province's western and northern borders. The term Limpopo is derived from Rivombo (Livombo/Lebombo), a group of Tsonga settlers ...
,
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 ...
.
Description
This palm-like cycad grows up to 3 meters tall with stems that are 15–25 cm in diameter. Its leaves are 100–150 cm long, either blue or semi-glossy silver. The leaflets are 14–20 cm long, lanceolate, and have a toothed margin. They grow in pairs at a 180° angle along the rachis. The plant is dioecious, meaning it has separate male and female specimens. Male specimens have 1-3 green ovoid cones that are 18–25 cm long and 6–8 cm in diameter with green to silvery color. Female specimens have 1-2 oval cones of the same color, which are larger at 30–35 cm long and 12 cm in diameter. In ''Bothalia'' both male and female cones are described as being silvery in color.
[Bothalia, loc. cit.] Both types of cones appear in January, which is the middle of summer in the southern hemisphere. The seeds are 20–25 mm long, 15–20 mm wide, and covered with an orange
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 ...
(similar to an
aril
An aril (), also called arillus, is a specialized outgrowth from a seed that partly or completely covers the seed. An arillode, or false aril, is sometimes distinguished: whereas an aril grows from the attachment point of the seed to the ova ...
). Both the
macrosporophylls
In botany, a sporophyll is a leaf that bears sporangia. Both microphylls and megaphylls can be sporophylls. In heterosporous plants, sporophylls (whether they are microphylls or megaphylls) bear either megasporangia and thus are called megaspor ...
and microsporophylls have a flat, smooth, and glabrous surface.
Etymology
Encephalartos is Greek and means 'bear's head'. Inopinus is Latin and means 'unexpected'.
References
External links
*
*
inopinus
Endemic flora of South Africa
Flora of the Northern Provinces
Trees of South Africa
Critically endangered flora of Africa
{{cycad-stub