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| Photo Ken Hill
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| The Cycad Pages
| | Encephalartos trispinosus
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- Encephalartos trispinosus (Hook.) R.A. Dyer, J. S. African Bot. 31(2): 112-116, pl. 20 (1965). BAS
Encephalartos horridus var. trispinosus Hook., Bot. Mag. 89: t. 5371 (1863). ?t. 5371
- TYPE: the plate t. 5371 (?or spec, in K?)
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| Photo Ken Hill
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Etymology:
Latin tri-, three and spinosus, spines, from the 3-lobed
leaflets.
Literature:
Illustrations:
Vernacular:
Historical notes:
Described as a variety of E. horridus in 1863 by English botanist
J.D. Hooker,
later raised to the rank of species by South African botanist
R.
Allen Dyer.
Distinguishing features:
This species is close to E. horridus, from which it is distinguished
by the entire lower leaflets and the yellowish cones with wrinkled facets.
Leaves also tend to be less intensely blue, although this character is
variable within the species and with leaf age. Leaflets of E.
horridus are also twisted out of the plane of the leaf, and not so in
E. trispinosus.
The blue-leaved species of the Cape Province have discolorous leaves with
stomata on the undersurfaces only, in contrast to the blue-leaved species
of Transvaal, which all have stomata on both surfaces of the leaflets.
Distribution and habitat:
Eastern Cape Province, South Africa, in arid low succulent shrubland on
rocky ridges and slopes.
Conservation:
1997 IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants
category V.
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| Photo Ken Hill
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Description:
Plants arborescent; stem 1 m tall, 25-30 cm diam.
Leaves 75-125 cm long, blue or silver, dull, slightly keeled to flat
in section (opposing leaflets inserted at 150-180° on
rachis); rachis blue, straight with last third sharply recurved, not spirally
twisted; petiole straight, with no prickles; leaf-base collar prominent; basal
leaflets not reducing to spines.
Leaflets lanceolate, weakly discolorous, not overlapping, with 1-2
lobes on upper and median leaflets, insertion angle horizontal; margins flat;
upper margin entire (no teeth); lower margin entire (no teeth); median leaflets
10-18 cm long, 15-25 mm wide.
Pollen cones 1, fusiform, yellow, 25-35 cm long, 7-8 cm diam.
Seed cones 1, ovoid, yellow, 40-50 cm long, 18-20 cm diam.
Seeds oblong, 30-35 mm long, 18-20 mm wide, sarcotesta red.
