Etymology: Honoring Ian S. Turner of Zimbabwe, well known student and collector of cycads and collector of the type. Literature: Illustrations: Vernacular: Historical notes: Described in 1988 by South African botanists - Lavranos and Douglas Goode. Distinguishing features: Very thick, boat-shaped leaflets with stiff, hook-like recurved apices; narrow yellowish cones with a pink bloom; few shortly stalked pollen cones; sessile seed cones. Distribution and habitat: Mozambique Conservation: 1997 IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants category E. Description:
Plants arborescent; stem 3 m tall, 80 cm diam. Leaves 100-150 cm long, dark green, highly glossy, slightly keeled; rachis green, straight, stiff, not spirally twisted; petiole straight, with 6-12 prickles; leaf-base collar not present; basal leaflets reducing to spines. Leaflets lanceolate, weakly discolorous, not lobed, insertion angle obtuse (45-80°) or acute (less than 45°); margins recurved; upper margin entire (no teeth), or lightly toothed (1-3 teeth); lower margin entire (no teeth), or lightly toothed (1-3 teeth); median leaflets 15-20 cm long, 20-30 mm wide. Pollen cones 1-3, narrowly ovoid, yellow, 25-30 cm long, 6-8 cm diam. Seed cones 1-3, ovoid, yellow, 26-30 cm long, 14-16 cm diam. Seeds oblong, 40-60 mm long, 20-25 mm wide, sarcotesta red or yellow.
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