Life Span
Biennial
Perennial
Type
Palm or Cycad
Grass
Origin
South Africa
China
Types
Alexandria cycad, Encephalartos caffer, Encephalartos concinnus
Greenstripe Vivax, Moso, Weavers Bamboo, Oldhamii
Number of Varieties
661500
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Riverbanks, Rocky areas, Scrubs
Subtropical climates, Wet Woods
USDA Hardiness Zone
9-128-11
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-8
12 - 8
Sunset Zone
H1, H2, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
H1, H2, 8, 9, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Clump-Forming
Upright/Erect
Plant Size
Minimum Height
290.00 cm1,000.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
240.00 cm10.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
-
-
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
-
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Dark Green
Dark Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Dark Green
Light Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Dark Green
Dark Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Dark Green
Dark Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Pinnate
Acicular
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Slow
Slow
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Clay, Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Average
Bloom Time
Early Summer, Summer
-
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground, Pot
Container, Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Grafting, Seedlings, Stem Planting, Transplanting
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Needs very little water
Needs watering once a week, Use Mulches to help prevent water loss during hot and windy weather, Water Deeply
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Type
Loam, Sand
Clay, Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Average
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Pruning
Remove crossing or rubbing branches, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves, Remove dead or diseased plant parts
Do not prune during shooting season, Prune in late summer or fall, Remove damaged leaves
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Red blotch
Black sooty mold, Mealybugs, Mosaic viruses, Powdery mildew, pythogens, Stem rot
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Drought
Flowers
Insignificant
-
Flower Petal Number
-
Single
Fruits
Showy Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Edible Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrance
Fragrant Flower
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Leaf
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Bark/Stem
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Foliage
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Bark
✔
✘
✔
✘
Foliage Texture
Bold
Coarse
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Birds
Deers, Rabbits, Rats, Squirrels
Allergy
-
allergic conjunctivitis, Asthma, Inflammation, Throat itching
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification, Shadow Tree, Windbreak
Agroforestry, Air purification, No fertilizer, pesticides, or herbicides needed
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
-
Clears heat, Cold, fidgeting, Treating fever, Urinary tract problems
Part of Plant Used
Leaves, Seeds, Stem
Leaves, Stem
Other Uses
Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for its medicinal properties
Application in Handicrafts, Showy Purposes, Used As Food, Used in Furniture, Used in paper industry
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Feature Plant, Foundation, Mixed Border, Tropical
Feature Plant, Screening / Wind Break, Tropical
Botanical Name
ENCEPHALARTOS altensteinii
BAMBUSA oldhamii
Common Name
Bread Tree, Prickly Cycad
Clumping Bamboo, Giant Timber Bamboo, Oldham's Bamboo
In Hindi
Bread Tree
Bānsa
In German
Brotbaum
Bambus
In French
Bread Arbre
Bambou
In Spanish
Árbol del pan
Bambú
In Greek
ψωμί Δέντρο
μπαμπού
In Portuguese
Árvore de pão
bambu
In Polish
chleb Drzewo
Bambus
In Latin
panis ligno
Bamboo
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Equisetopsida
Liliopsida
Order
Cycadales
Poales
Family
Cycadaceae
Poaceae
Genus
Encephalartos
Bambusa
Clade
-
-
Tribe
-
Bambuseae
Subfamily
-
-
Number of Species
6691
1
27800
👆🏻