About Encephalartos transvenosus Stapf & Burtt Davy
This cycad, Encephalartos transvenosus Stapf & Burtt Davy, can grow up to twelve meters tall. It has a thick trunk marked with a net-like pattern. Its shiny, spiny leaves are arranged in a nearly straight pattern, and each leaf can reach up to two and a half meters in length. The leaflets are wide, with middle leaflets growing around three centimeters wide. Leaflets are slightly curved, and have small teeth along their edges. The plant produces two to four large cones that grow nestled among its leaves. Female cones can reach up to eighty centimeters long, weigh up to thirty-four kilograms, and contain bright orange-red seeds. Commonly called Modjadji's cycad, this species grows in the mountains of Limpopo Province, South Africa, especially on two hills east of near Modjadjiskloof, which was formerly named Duiwelskloof. This is a tall, majestic tree that has been protected by generations of rainqueens. It forms pure stands of forest on these hills, which make up the only cycad forests in Southern Africa.
