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| The Cycad Pages
| | Encephalartos poggei
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- Encephalartos poggei Asch., Verh. Bot. Vereins Prov. Brandenburg 20: 35-36 (1878). ?
- TYPE: Belgian Congo, between the Luisa and Cassenigi Rivers, 1876, Pogge s.n. (holo ?).
Encephalartos lemarinellianus De Wild. & Th. Dur., Compt. Rend. Soc. Bot. Belg. 39: 80 (). ?
- TYPE: Belgian Congo, right bank of the Lubi, Le Marinel, 1891 cult. Lusambo, coll. Laurent 1896 (holo BR).
Etymology:
Honoring Paul Pogge, 19th Century German
collector in Central Africa and collector of the type.
Literature:
Illustrations:
Vernacular:
Historical notes:
Described in 1878 by -- botanist
- Ascherson.
Distinguishing features:
One of a group of dwarf central African species (the E. poggei complex)
that also includes E. delucanus, E. schmitzii, E.
marunguensis and E. schaijesii.
Within this group, it is distinguished by the
well-spaced, entire leaflets, yellow cones, stalked pollen cones, and sessile
seed cones.
Distribution and habitat:
Conservation:
Not listed in the
1997 IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants.
Description:
Plants arborescent; stem 2 m tall, 30 cm diam.
Leaves 70-150 cm long, blue green, semiglossy, flat (not keeled) in
section (opposing leaflets inserted at 180° on rachis); rachis green,
straight, stiff or straight with last third sharply recurved, not spirally
twisted or slightly twisted in some leaves; petiole straight, with 1-6 prickles;
leaf-base collar not present; basal leaflets reducing to spines.
Leaflets linear or lanceolate, strongly discolorous, not overlapping,
not lobed, insertion angle acute (less than 45°); margins flat; upper
margin entire (no teeth), or lightly toothed (1-3 teeth); lower margin entire
(no teeth), or lightly toothed (1-3 teeth); median leaflets 8-15 cm long, 7-13
mm wide.
Pollen cones 2-3, narrowly ovoid, yellow, 10-30 cm long, 3-7.5 cm
diam.
Seed cones 2-3, ovoid, yellow, 17-23 cm long, 9-12 cm diam.
Seeds oblong, 20-33 mm long, 17-23 mm wide, sarcotesta red.