''Encephalartos manikensis'' (Gorongo Cycad, Gorongowe Cycad) 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 ...
that is native to
Mozambique
Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique, is a country located in Southeast Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west, and Eswatini and South Afr ...
and
Zimbabwe
file:Zimbabwe, relief map.jpg, upright=1.22, Zimbabwe, relief map
Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Bots ...
.
Description
This cycad has a tree-like structure, growing up to 1.5 m tall, sometimes with additional stems growing from its base. Its feather-like leaves, forming a crown at the top of the stem, are 1–2 m long, supported by a 5–6 cm long petiole, and consist of around 60 pairs of lance-shaped leaflets. These leaflets may have 1-2 spines on both their upper and lower edges, and they are attached to the stem at a 180° angle, tapering to thorns near the petiole.
This species is dioecious, meaning it has separate male and female plants. Male plants produce 1-4 erect, cylindrical-ovoid cones that are 25–65 cm long and 15–22 cm wide, light green in color. Female plants bear 1-2 ovoid cones that are 30–45 cm long and 20–25 cm wide.
The seeds are roughly ovoid, 3–5 cm long, and have a bright 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 ...
.
References
External links
*
*
manikensis
Flora of Mozambique
Flora of Zimbabwe
Vulnerable flora of Africa
Plants described in 1939
{{cycad-stub