Pictures of the best looking cycad hybrids combinations in your garden or ones you have seen?

[Scott W]

On 1/3/2025 at 11:34 PM, hinovak said:

Those are awesome Scott! Really interested to see how those crossed with the multifronds turn out. Could be killer! Did I get the RxTxD offspring from you? It was something either RxD or RxTxD. Either way they are growing like weeds! Put them in a 3 gal pot after getting them from you last year, and they have roots circling the bottom.

 

Looking good!  Those would be Rev x diannanensis.  Going to have to do the cross again as I never kept any for myself 🤣

[hinovak]

Anyone have any hybrid zamia pumila? Thought that could maybe form a more cold tolerant Zamia?

[amh]

1 hour ago, hinovak said:

Anyone have any hybrid zamia pumila? Thought that could maybe form a more cold tolerant Zamia?

I've seen seeds for a hybrid of Zamia integrifolia(floridana) and Zamia furfuracea for sale, unfortunately I did not buy them. The hybrid had a vibrant bronze color on the emergent leaves. 

I'll probably experiment with Zamia integrifolia hybrids in the future.

[hinovak]

1 hour ago, amh said:

I've seen seeds for a hybrid of Zamia integrifolia(floridana) and Zamia furfuracea for sale, unfortunately I did not buy them. The hybrid had a vibrant bronze color on the emergent leaves. 

I'll probably experiment with Zamia integrifolia hybrids in the future.

I think it could be an interesting endeavor for possibly a new line of more hardy Zamia. I could be wrong here, because I don’t know a lot about Zamia, but aren’t there species that have more subterranean trunks? Maybe crossing those with Zamia integrifolia(floridana could get you somewhere?

[amh]

13 hours ago, hinovak said:

I think it could be an interesting endeavor for possibly a new line of more hardy Zamia. I could be wrong here, because I don’t know a lot about Zamia, but aren’t there species that have more subterranean trunks? Maybe crossing those with Zamia integrifolia(floridana could get you somewhere?

I'm not sure which zamia species will cross, but I think the Zamia pumila species complex will give the best results. I would likely stick with Florida sourced Zamia integrifolia for one of the parents. I usually use the name Zamia floridana for this reason.

[hinovak]

All very interesting, I sure a lot of people on here would be interested in the results, if you do go through with it ever, please share results!

[amh]

My Zamia floridanas are now reaching reproductive age, so now I just have to wait for my Zamia furfuracea, Zamia angustifolia and Zamia variegata to start coning. 

I have some other species, but they are still very immature.

[amh]

15 minutes ago, hinovak said:

All very interesting, I sure a lot of people on here would be interested in the results, if you do go through with it ever, please share results!

Plant delights had Zamia angustifolia survive single digits, so I'm thinking Zamia floridana X angustfolia will give the best results.

https://www.juniperlevelbotanicgarden.org/winter-hardy-cycads/

[hinovak]

Plant delights field trials have helped me a lot in choosing plants. They seem to really be in the know if you are in a borderline area. I bet that could be a really good combo, I wonder if there are any wide leaved zamias that grow in the same region as the Zamia angustifolia

[Tracy]

No matter if you are an avid purest or a fan of hybrids,  in some cases, hybridization is the only option for sexualy reproduced plants.  I am specifically speaking about Encephalartos woodii, which only exists as a male species.  Yes, if one is fortunate,  one can acquire a rare pup of this species, but they are challenging to establish.   At least that is what I have heard from knowledgeable sources.

The preferred cross to establish something like a female Encephalartos woodii is multiple generations of backcrossing Encephalartos natalensis × woodii female offspring with woodii pollen.  That requires patience given the time for offspring to mature to coning and limited productivity of pollination.  The last I read was f3 offspring as I recall but others may have more current updates. 

The choice of natalensis makes sense but there is no reason to limit the use of woodii pollen to just that one species.  I have seen transvenosus,  arenarius and horridus hybrids with woodii and all make spectacular landscape plants.  Here in the states we lack the natural pollinators to pose any risk of accidentally contamination of pure species plants of Encephalartos. 

So one of my favorite hybrid cycads is Encephalartos horridus × woodii.  This is my girl but having seen her siblings, I can attest to significant variations in spikyness as well as other features. She has produced some still young backcrosses with Encephalartos horridus × woodii pollen thus far with other experimentation forthcoming.  She has been a vigorous grower the 15 plus years i have had her.  She weathered a transplant from my Carlsbad garden to Leucadia over a decade ago without skipping a beat.

[KPoff]

On 12/13/2024 at 2:35 AM, amh said:

I have quite a few hybrids now, most are Cycas panzhihuaensis crosses, but I have a few questionable zamias as well as a hybrid encephalartos and a few Dioon edule X angustifolium hybrids. Everything is packed into the greenhouse right now, so I will try to get some pictures this week.  I have two small Cycas panzhihuaensis X szechuanensis that are really neat.

@amh I saw that Plant Delights in NC had created a cross between panzhihuaensis and revoluta that is supposedly more cold hardy than both. They are sold out now but I would love to get one if I could. I live in 8a which is marginal for cycads but doable.

[hinovak]

On 1/19/2025 at 5:32 PM, Tracy said:

No matter if you are an avid purest or a fan of hybrids,  in some cases, hybridization is the only option for sexualy reproduced plants.  I am specifically speaking about Encephalartos woodii, which only exists as a male species.  Yes, if one is fortunate,  one can acquire a rare pup of this species, but they are challenging to establish.   At least that is what I have heard from knowledgeable sources.

The preferred cross to establish something like a female Encephalartos woodii is multiple generations of backcrossing Encephalartos natalensis × woodii female offspring with woodii pollen.  That requires patience given the time for offspring to mature to coning and limited productivity of pollination.  The last I read was f3 offspring as I recall but others may have more current updates. 

The choice of natalensis makes sense but there is no reason to limit the use of woodii pollen to just that one species.  I have seen transvenosus,  arenarius and horridus hybrids with woodii and all make spectacular landscape plants.  Here in the states we lack the natural pollinators to pose any risk of accidentally contamination of pure species plants of Encephalartos. 

So one of my favorite hybrid cycads is Encephalartos horridus × woodii.  This is my girl but having seen her siblings, I can attest to significant variations in spikyness as well as other features. She has produced some still young backcrosses with Encephalartos horridus × woodii pollen thus far with other experimentation forthcoming.  She has been a vigorous grower the 15 plus years i have had her.  She weathered a transplant from my Carlsbad garden to Leucadia over a decade ago without skipping a beat.

Wow, that Encephalartos is amazing, I’m really glad you posted pictures of it, because I had just read that article on back crossing it to try and get an almost true genetic mate. I want to try Encephalartos in my climate, there are a couple out there that might possibly work for me. I’m guessing that may be your favorite?!

[amh]

On 1/20/2025 at 8:42 AM, KPoff said:

@amh I saw that Plant Delights in NC had created a cross between panzhihuaensis and revoluta that is supposedly more cold hardy than both. They are sold out now but I would love to get one if I could. I live in 8a which is marginal for cycads but doable.

The hybrid is a really neat plant that grows faster than its parents and should easily survive in 8A Texas. If you see the species for sale, I would buy it.

[amh]

On 1/11/2025 at 5:09 PM, hinovak said:

Plant delights field trials have helped me a lot in choosing plants. They seem to really be in the know if you are in a borderline area. I bet that could be a really good combo, I wonder if there are any wide leaved zamias that grow in the same region as the Zamia angustifolia

Zamia angustifolia is native to the Bahamas and Cuba, so the only Zamia species in the area will be other closely related species within the  Zamia pumila species complex. The closest relative to Zamia angustifolia is the island version of Zamia integrifolia.
 

[Tracy]

20 hours ago, hinovak said:

Wow, that Encephalartos is amazing, I’m really glad you posted pictures of it, because I had just read that article on back crossing it to try and get an almost true genetic mate. I want to try Encephalartos in my climate, there are a couple out there that might possibly work for me. I’m guessing that may be your favorite?!

Your fellow Texans can advise best on which Encephalartos species perform best there.  As far as low temperature tolerance goes, the Cape blues perform best but humidity and other factors could be problematic.   I don't have experience with sub freezing temperatures 

Perhaps Encephalartos lehmannii,  princeps, trispinosis, horridus and their hybrids would endure some of your milder lows, but would appreciate help on your coldest lows.

[amh]

22 minutes ago, Tracy said:

Your fellow Texans can advise best on which Encephalartos species perform best there.  As far as low temperature tolerance goes, the Cape blues perform best but humidity and other factors could be problematic.   I don't have experience with sub freezing temperatures 

Perhaps Encephalartos lehmannii,  princeps, trispinosis, horridus and their hybrids would endure some of your milder lows, but would appreciate help on your coldest lows.

Encephalartos lehmannii grows great for me, in a container. So far the species handles the humidity well and retains a wonderful blue coloration at an altitude above 1,000 feet.  I also have a slow growing Encephalartos eugene-maraisii and a robust growing  Encephalartos gratus x hildebrandtii. I'm Zone 8A on a good year, so I will not be planting any Encephalartos plants in the ground.

[frankcar1965]

For what it's worth, here's Plant Delights list of Hardy cycads, they're cold and wet during the winter.

https://www.juniperlevelbotanicgarden.org/winter-hardy-cycads/

[Merlyn]

@hinovak most (but not all) Encephalartos are reasonably hardy, down to the 22-23F range.  A few of the bigger tropical types (Laurentianus, Whitelockii, Ituriensis) are only hardy to around 30F, with variable damage below that.  I'm guessing, like with @amh, that they'd be container plants in your location.  But the good news is that they'll live and grow just fine in a container for decades.  Just use quick draining soil and move it inside for the worst cold fronts.

[amh]

6 hours ago, Merlyn said:

@hinovak most (but not all) Encephalartos are reasonably hardy, down to the 22-23F range.  A few of the bigger tropical types (Laurentianus, Whitelockii, Ituriensis) are only hardy to around 30F, with variable damage below that.  I'm guessing, like with @amh, that they'd be container plants in your location.  But the good news is that they'll live and grow just fine in a container for decades.  Just use quick draining soil and move it inside for the worst cold fronts.

There is just one caveat to growing Encephalartos in pots, and that is that you will require protection to manhandle the plants when they mature. The Enchephalartos genus can get very spiny and this is why I gravitate towards the Zamia and Ceratozamia genera for potted plants.

 

[Merlyn]

@amh no doubt!  All Encephalartos are somewhat stabby, though some are less dangerous than others.  I typically use the cheap nitrile dipped construction gloves to handle them.  It's not perfect, but they help reduce thorn stabs.

[hinovak]

They can’t be any worse than my agave garden…at least I hope, I was an idiot and planted a lot close together in the early days, the garden looks really cool now, but weeding it every so often is pure torture. Also, I have several nolinas…def. Know why they call it bear grass….I have a very small one in a pot, (Encephalartos paucidentatus) supposedly pretty tough. We shall see, I’m going to eventually put it in the ground, and will protect on occasion like my others. I would love a larger one, but just don’t really want to get a nice one to kill it. Will see how the little guy handles things and make a decision. Supposedly some really large grown out species of dioons can give an encephalartos a run for its money in looks. But I have never seen a really large bluish dioon in person. And a little off subject, but I see lots of hybrid encephalartos floating around. But I have hardly ever seen a hybrid dioon? Any reason? Less popular?

[Brian]

Although I don’t have very many, this is probably my best looking hybrid. It’s pretty robust and just recently started to put out some interesting characteristics. I can’t wait to see what it looks like in a few years. 
 

 

[SailorBold]

Can anyone help me with sourcing some of these hybrids? I would like to add some this spring....  namely dioons..cycas.. and perhaps other Mexican types!  Really appreciate your help!!

Jimmy

[Merlyn]

@hinovak I'd rate them as similar to agaves overall.  The thorns don't tend to break off in your hands, which is a bonus.  If I get stabbed by an agave I usually have to go inside immediately and find my magnifying loupe and tweezers to pull out the thorn.  Encephalartos generally just stab you, but don't break off.  However, the thorns are irregularly located on leaves and stems, so you have to be a bit more careful what you grab.  Agaves are a bit easier in that respect, because you know all the thorns are on the edges and the tip...

Regarding Dioon, I only have one hybrid.  Someone made an Edule "Rio Verde" crossed with Angustifolium.  To be honest, it looks just like a smallish Edule.  I haven't seen any other Dioon hybrids.

I just recently bought a Dioon Tomasellii and Argenteum from Ice Blue Cycads.  In TX you could probably keep the strong blue color on most of them.  In FL the "blue" ones of Encephalartos and Dioon end up mostly green by mid-summer.  I'm trying anyway!

[amh]

Dioon califanoi has a great blue coloration, but they are not cold hardy.

[Gallop]

I’ve been growing Dioon califanoi for about 15yrs on the Ms Gulf Coast. It’s seen days below freezing and lows of 14°. This past cold front will put it to the test. I would call it cold hardy. I may see a few brown leaves this winter but nothing a new flush won’t cure. 

Edule x califanoi, Edule x argenteum and Merolae x vovidesii are all great Dioon hybrids that will withstand temperatures in low twenties /teens. 

Edule x Caliafanoi

Edule x Argenteum 

Edule x Califanoi

Dioon califanoi

Edue x Califanoi

Edule x califanoi

Edule x Agenteum

Merolae x vovidesii

This past weeks cold front