Encephalartos ID

[DG2020]

Helped a friend with a bee problem today and he gave me these offsets.  Any help with an ID would be appreciated! 

[GeneAZ]

Encephalartos lebomboensis,  Mananga form.

[DG2020]

Thank you for the ID. I have Ferox, Gratus, Hildebrandtii and Villosus  planted. It’s easier for me to see the differences between them than some of the other species. Reading and comparing images of the subtle differences in leaf structure was interesting but left me unsure of an ID. 

[Tracy]

5 hours ago, GeneAZ said:

Encephalartos lebomboensis,  Mananga form.

Gene, what differentiates the Mananga form?  Even though I'm growing E lebomboensis I would have guessed (incorrectly) E altenstenii for DG"s plant from looking at the leaflets.

[Merlyn]

I was going to guess Tegulaneus, but I can't tell if the leaves have that telltale ridge on the bottom edge.  Of course I am usually the person posting ID questions here, so my guess is usually wrong...  

[DG2020]

I wouldn’t hazard a guess! ID or not I was happy to have the offsets. I knew it wasn’t one that I had planted already. The leaves looked similar to E. villosus but thought  it was too tall. 

[Merlyn]

12 hours ago, DG2020 said:

I wouldn’t hazard a guess! ID or not I was happy to have the offsets. I knew it wasn’t one that I had planted already. The leaves looked similar to E. villosus but thought  it was too tall. 

I have a couple of small Villosus seedlings, from PT member NateturesDomain.  I've got them in pretty significant shade, I read that they are an understory type with 7-9' fronds.  I'd guess that's not your plants based on the apparently sunny location.  But those offsets look stout and would be pretty pricey if bought somewhere.  I've never rooted an Encephalartos pup, I've read that an inorganic mix (perlite, coarse sand, pumice) with a dusting of sulfur for antifungal works.  Post some updates later when they are growing!

[DG2020]

This is the E. villosus in my yard. The leaves look similar. The difference was the acaulescent vs arborescent growth. 

[DG2020]

This is an E. hildebrandtii offset I rooted around 5 years ago and an offset pulled from it this year. Sprayed them with fungicide then pruning sealer before planting them in place. Drainage is not a problem with Florida SAND. I am hoping these offsets take as well but only time will tell.

[Tracy]

On 11/7/2020 at 5:34 PM, DG2020 said:

 

 

On 11/8/2020 at 1:11 PM, GeneAZ said:

Encephalartos lebomboensis,  Mananga form.

I trust Gene's assessment.  I don't know that my lebomboensis is any particular form, but thought I would show comparison between it and an Encephalartos altenstenii, which ironically was from a pup while the E lebomboensis was grown from seed.  The seed grown plant has been much faster, probably due to some establishment challenges for the altenstenii pup.  First three photos show the seed grown Encephalartos lebomboensis and second three photos show the Encephalartos altenstenii grown from a pup.

[GeneAZ]

On 11/8/2020 at 2:11 PM, GeneAZ said:

Encephalartos lebomboensis,  Mananga form.

On further consideration, I now feel the plant is typical E. lebomboensis.

Mananga has a more vertical stance and shorter leaflets.  Not the graceful umbrella-shaped canopy seen in the parent of this thread.

It's lebomboensis and not altensteinii due to the prickles on the petiole.  Altensteinii has smooth petiole, though the leaflets reduce in size.

I really hesitate to wade into the lebomboensis subject due to the discovery about 8 years ago that the holotype plant that described the species is not what everyone has referred to as lebomboensis typicum.   The holotype is the rarer subspecies Piet Retiefii.  

So to be currently accurate, E. lebomboensis typicum is defined from the holotype as being what is referred to in the cycad community as Piet Retiefii; having the narrow leaflets and having the venetian-blind spacing on the rachis and a more right-angle configuration as well as numerous spines along both margins of each leaflet.  This is a more rare plant.

So then everything else in the lebomboensis complex is being viewed at lebomboensis typicum with variants such as Mananga, having the shorter leaflets, upright rachis, close leaflet spacing.

 

I have a large specimen of lebomboensis that I received from Bruce Bursey in South Africa around 1985 that is atypical, to me.  It is now a very large plant with a strongly curving 10 to 12 foot umbrella canopy.  It has quite long and narrow leaflets that have the typical toothiness on both margins.  The leaflets are in a rather pronounced V-formation.  I have never seen another quite as distinct.  Yet Bruce collected from nature the 4-inch offset I originally received, and he called it lebomboensis.  Indeed, it has the prickles on the petiole and lebomboensis feel -- only better!

 

 

[DG2020]

Thanks for all the replies, pictures and information. ID threads are very helpful for the novice cycad enthusiasts. 

[Merlyn]

8 hours ago, DG2020 said:

This is the E. villosus in my yard. The leaves look similar. The difference was the acaulescent vs arborescent growth. 

Thanks for the great photos, now I remember asking you about your Villosus.  As I recall it was in part shade and then a storm took out a shade tree, or something like that.  I had completely forgotten about that.  I was treating both Villosus and Umbeluziensis as a shade-only cycad.  Mine have been *extremely* slow in my nursery shade spot, only holding onto 1 or 2 fronds at a time.  Maybe they need a bit more sun.  I think I'll move them out into a little bit more sun now that winter is coming.  

[DG2020]

E. villosus has been SLOW compared to E. ferox, E. gratus and E. hildebrandtii but those are FAST growing. Although it is  a decent size, STILL waiting for this E. villosus to cone. As for sun/shade exposure the Florida humidity likely allows some wiggle room. 

[tropicalb]

On 11/10/2020 at 5:34 PM, Merlyn2220 said:

Thanks for the great photos, now I remember asking you about your Villosus.  As I recall it was in part shade and then a storm took out a shade tree, or something like that.  I had completely forgotten about that.  I was treating both Villosus and Umbeluziensis as a shade-only cycad.  Mine have been *extremely* slow in my nursery shade spot, only holding onto 1 or 2 fronds at a time.  Maybe they need a bit more sun.  I think I'll move them out into a little bit more sun now that winter is coming.  

Here in Southern California there are villosus growing and coning very well in full sun.

[DG2020]

5 months later ....  It’s nice  to see a leaf flush from the smaller offset. 

[DG2020]

The other offset wasn’t far behind.