Encephalartos woodii (Wood's cycad)

The original plant was discovered on the fringes of the Ngoye Forest in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. There are now around 500 individual male plants propagated from the original and growing in botanic gardens and private collections around the world.

Close up of Encephalartos woodii cone (Image: Andrew McRobb, RBG Kew)

Growing up to six metres in height, the trunk is topped with an umbrella-shaped crown of 2 - 3 metre long, glossy, dark-green leaves. In mature specimens, the trunk can branch in the crown, and atypically for cycads, broaden towards the base to form a kind of buttress which supports the plant’s vast weight. In common with all cycads, the woody trunk mostly comprises soft, pithy storage tissue protected by a solid layer of old leaf-bases. Owing to their common origin, all the Wood’s cycads in cultivation are male, and consequently only produce the pollen-bearing male cones. These are bright orange in colour, cylindrical in shape and can grow up to 1.2 metres in length.

Wood's cycad requires fertile well-drained soil and ample water. It can withstand relatively long dry spells but plants that receive regular water are healthier and have larger leaves. During summer give sufficient water to soak the root area once a week. Watering can be suspended during winter. Good drainage is crucial. In hot dry regions inland, the sun tends to burn the leaves and they are better planted in light shade. A mulch of well-rotted compost applied at least once a year around the base of the plant, plus application of a balanced fertiliser twice a year during summer will keep the plant in good condition and maintain growth, which can be the fastest of any cycad. The species is most easily propagated by removing five year old offsets from the base. Branches from near the top can also be cut off and rooted in a warm environment. Leaf cuttings from hardened-off leaves with as much of the basal tissue as possible should be put into a sterilized sharp sand and pumice mixture. They should be kept in a humid environment and fed regularly as soon as roots have formed.

Encephalartos woodii can be seen growing in the Temperate House at Kew, where it regularly produces new flushes of leaves.

Find out more about cycads on the Kew website here

Further information on Wood’s cycad and the conservation of cycads in South Africa can be found at the South African National Biodiversity Institute website

The Cycad Society of South Africa

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