Cycad: Ferox

Cycad: Encephalartos Ferox

The name Ferox comes from the Latin word that means wild or cruel. This is an indication of the leave form and thorns.

The stem of this plant can become up to 2 m tall, with a diameter of up to 350 cm. It can form various suckers. (A sucker is a small plant that forms on the parent plant, and will grow on its own when removed from the parent plant and planted in the ground.) The leaves can become up to 2 m long.

These plants are found from the Northern side of KwaZulu-Natal, on the East coast of South Africa, up to the Northern side of Mozambique, all along the coast. These plants prefer frost free areas and grows in sandy soil.

As on all the Cycads, you get male and female plants. The male cones can be from 1-10 on a plant and varies between 350 to 580 mm long with a diameter of between 80 and 120 mm. The female cones can be 1-5 on a plant and varies from 250 to 510 mm long with a diameter of 180 to 400 mm. As can be seen the male cones are longer and thinner when compared with the shorter, thicker female cones.

Below the long leaves can be seen from close up.

The photo below shows the ferocious leaves (As indicated above this is where the name Ferox comes from)

Here you can see the leaves attached to the stem.

Below is a photo of the female cone.

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The photo below shows the taller thinner male cone.

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On the photo below you can see the pollen of the male cone.

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Except where image credit is indicated, the photos were taken with my iPhone.

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