Cycads of Africa

Please find our new Atlas of all known Cycads of Africa with 67 recognised species. With the exception of 2 species in the genus of Cycas and Stangeria, only the genus Encephalartos grows in Africa

Only 1 specie grows in Africa in the genus of 105 species

Cycas thouarsii - Madagascar

Encephalartos (Africa)

With 65 species

Encephalartos aemulans, Encephalartos altensteinii, Encephalartos aplanatus, Encephalartos arenarius, Encephalartos barteri, Encephalartos brevifoliolatus, Encephalartos bubalinus, Encephalartos caffer, Encephalartos cerinus, Encephalartos chimanimaniensis, Encephalartos concinnus, Encephalartos cupidus, Encephalartos cycadifolius, Encephalartos delucanus, Encephalartos dolomiticus, Encephalartos dyerianus, Encephalartos equatorialis, Encephalartos eugene-maraisii, Encephalartos ferox, Encephalartos friderici-guilielmi, Encephalartos ghellinckii, Encephalartos gratus, Encephalartos heenanii, Encephalartos hildebrandtii, Encephalartos hirsutus, Encephalartos horridus, Encephalartos humilis, Encephalartos inopinus, Encephalartos ituriensis, Encephalartos kisambo, Encephalartos laevifolius, Encephalartos lanatus, Encephalartos latifrons, Encephalartos laurentianus, Encephalartos lebomboensis, Encephalartos lehmannii, Encephalartos longifolius, Encephalartos mackenziei, Encephalartos macrostrobilus, Encephalartos manikensis, Encephalartos marunguensis, Encephalartos middelburgensis, Encephalartos msinganus, Encephalartos munchii, Encephalartos natalensis, Encephalartos ngoyanus, Encephalartos nubimontanus, Encephalartos paucidentatus, Encephalartos poggei, Encephalartos princeps, Encephalartos pterogonus, Encephalartos relictus, Encephalartos schaijesii, Encephalartos schmitzii, Encephalartos sclavoi, Encephalartos senticosus, Encephalartos septentrionalis, Encephalartos tegulaneus, Encephalartos transvenosus, Encephalartos trispinosus, Encephalartos turneri, Encephalartos umbeluziensis, Encephalartos villosus, Encephalartos whitelockii, Encephalartos woodii

Stangeria (South Africa and Mosambique)

With only 1 species of two forms (grass and forest)

Stangeria eriopus

See also the Habitat Photo Gallery of boths forest and grass forms

Habitat Photo Galleries

1. •Encephalartos barteri in Ghana - the only habitat photos on the web!
   

2. •Encephalartos cupidus
   

3. •Encephalartos dyerianus
   

4. •Encephalartos eugene-marasii
   

5. •Encephalartos hirsutus - the last of its kind in 2011
   

6. •Encephalartos kisambo in Kenya
   

7. •Encephalartos latifrons
   

8. •Encephalartos lanatus
   

9. •Encephalartos lebomboensis
   

10. •Encephalartos longifolius
    

11. •Encephalartos gratus - Malawi and Mosambique
    

12. •Encephalartos humilis
    

13. •Stangeria eriopus - boths forest and grass forms photos
    

Historical Articles

We are attempting to preserve the written cycad history in our country, republishing the Czech articles on cycads published in the past and otherwise difficult to find.  Most of them are in Czech language, but you can read here the article written by Czech botanist prof. Jan Jeník, quoted also in D. Goode: Cycads of Africa

Observations on the West African Cycad in Ghana - J. Jeník and J. B. Hall, 1967

Unique Photos
of Rare Species

Encephalartos relictus

Encephalartos hirsutus

Encephalartos heenanii

Critically Endagered and Extinct in Nature

Encephalartos woodii

Encephalartos relictus

Encephalartos laevifolius

Encephalartos latifrons

The Oldest Czech Cycad

Encephalartos altensteinii has reached its 400 years in Lednice Castle Greenhouse - however there is no documentation of its age

Interesting Photos

See more wilderness photos of

Encephalartos equatorialis from Uganda

The Longest Leaves

Encephalartos laurentianus was described from plants still growing in Belgium, it is renowned for its leaves upto 7m long