Etymology: Latin cupidus, desirable, from the striking form of the plant, thought by the author to render it desirable to cycad collectors. Literature: Illustrations: Vernacular: Historical notes: Described in 1971 by South African botanist R. Allen Dyer. Distinguishing features: A dwarf species with little or no clear stem, readily recognised by the short, keeled, twisted blue leaves with well-spaced leaflets bearing 3-6 slender spines on both margins, and the lower 2-3 pairs reducing to prickles on the very short petiole. The similar E. nubimontanus is a larger, often arborescent plant with longer, often recurved leaves. Distribution and habitat: A restricted species known from a small area in eastern Transvaal Privince, South Africa, in open grassy situations on steep to precipitous rocky slopes or cliffs. Conservation: 1997 IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants category E.
Description:
Plants acaulescent; stem 0.15 m tall, 15 cm diam. Leaves 100 cm long, blue or silver, dull, strongly keeled or moderately keeled (opposing leaflets inserted at 50-100° on rachis); rachis blue, straight with last third sharply recurved, slightly twisted in some leaves; petiole straight, with 1-6 prickles; leaf-base collar not present; basal leaflets reducing to spines. Leaflets lanceolate, concolorous, not overlapping, not lobed, insertion angle horizontal; margins flat; upper margin heavily toothed (more than 3 teeth); lower margin heavily toothed (more than 3 teeth); median leaflets 10-15 cm long, 10-12 mm wide. Pollen cones 1-3, ovoid, green, 18-20 cm long, 5-8 cm diam. Seed cones 1-2, ovoid, green, 18-20 cm long, 12-14 cm diam. Seeds ovoid, 20-25 mm long, 15-20 mm wide, sarcotesta orange or
yellow.
|
