About Encephalartos trispinosus (Hook.) R.A.Dyer
Encephalartos trispinosus (Hook.) R.A.Dyer is a cycad with an upright stem that can grow up to 1 meter tall and 25–30 cm in diameter. It frequently grows secondary stems from basal suckers. Pinnate leaves of this species form a crown at the top of the stem; their color ranges from gray-green to blue, and they can reach up to 1.4 meters in length. The leaves are made up of many pairs of obovate, leathery, hairy leaflets. Each leaflet can grow up to 18 cm long, has 1–3 spines along its lower margin, and ends in a sharp tip. This species is dioecious. Male plants produce one, or rarely two, erect sub-cylindrical cones that are 25–35 cm long, around 8 cm wide, and colored yellow to green. Female plants produce solitary cylindrical-ovoid cones that are roughly 40–50 cm long and 16–18 cm wide, with a conical apex, and are colored yellow to greenish-yellow. The seeds are approximately ovoid, around 3.5 cm long, and covered by a brown to red sarcotesta.
