Etymology: The name for this species in the Taita language of the local people. Literature: Illustrations: Vernacular: Historical notes: Discovered in the 1960's by Robert Archer, and later discussed by Heenan (1977) and Goode (1985), although not formally described until 1989 by European botanists working in Central Africa -- Faden and Henk Beentje. It had been concurrently described as E. voiensis by Moretti et al. (1989), but this publication was a few months later. Distinguishing features: Glossy, flat, dark green leaves, leaflets falcate, overlapping, with 2-6 or more teeth on the upper margins only, yellow cones, long-stalked pollen cones, cylindrical seed cones, red seeds. Distribution and habitat: Southern Kenya, in closed to open evergreen cloud forest on steep mountain slopes of the Maungu Hills of the Taita-Taveta District. Natural occurrence is limited to a very small area. Conservation: 1997 IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants category V. Description:
Plants arborescent; stem 2.5 m tall, 70 cm diam. Leaves 200-400 cm long, dark green, semiglossy, flat (not keeled) in section (opposing leaflets inserted at 180° on rachis); straight, stiff, not spirally twisted; petiole straight; leaf-base collar not present. Leaflets lanceolate, weakly discolorous, not lobed, insertion angle horizontal to obtuse (45-80°); margins flat; upper margin lightly toothed (1-3 teeth), or heavily toothed (more than 3 teeth); lower margin entire (no teeth); median leaflets 25-40 cm long, 30-40 mm wide. Pollen cones 2-3, fusiform, yellow, 40-60 cm long, 10-12 cm diam. Seed cones 2-3, ovoid, yellow, 40-60 cm long, 15-16 cm diam. Seeds oblong, 30-40 mm long, 20-25 mm wide, sarcotesta yellow.
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