Life Span
Biennial
Perennial
Type
Palm or Cycad
Grass
Origin
South Africa
Europe, Eastern Europe, Southern Europe, Russia/Siberia, Asia, Central Asia, Southern Asia
Types
Alexandria cycad, Encephalartos caffer, Encephalartos concinnus
-
Number of Varieties
6615
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Riverbanks, Rocky areas, Scrubs
Boggy areas, Dry and Young forest Heaths, Lowland
USDA Hardiness Zone
9-125-8
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-8
9 - 1
Sunset Zone
H1, H2, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, 16, 17
Habit
Clump-Forming
Arching/Fountain-shaped
Plant Size
Minimum Height
290.00 cm90.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
240.00 cm15.20 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
-
Dark Purple
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
-
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Dark Green
Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Dark Green
Light Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Dark Green
Green, Gold
Leaf Color in Winter
Dark Green
Tan
Shape
Leaf Shape
Pinnate
Needle like
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Partial Sun, Partial shade
Growth Rate
Slow
Slow
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Clay, Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Acidic, Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Average
Bloom Time
Early Summer, Summer
Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer, Early Fall
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
-
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground, Pot
Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Divison, Transplanting, Vegetative Reproduction
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Low
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Needs very little water
Requires regular watering, Water more frequently during periods of extreme drought
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
Soil Type
Loam, Sand
Clay, Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Average
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Partial Sun, Partial shade
Pruning
Remove crossing or rubbing branches, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves, Remove dead or diseased plant parts
Prune in winter, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
No need to fertilize every year
Pests and Diseases
Red blotch
Pests and diseases free
Plant Tolerance
Drought
-
Flowers
Insignificant
Showy
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
Medium
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Birds
-
Allergy
-
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
Showy Purposes, Water gardening
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification, Shadow Tree, Windbreak
No fertilizer, pesticides, or herbicides needed
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
-
-
Part of Plant Used
Leaves, Seeds, Stem
Whole plant
Other Uses
Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for its medicinal properties
Used as Ornamental plant
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Feature Plant, Foundation, Mixed Border, Tropical
Bedding Plant, Container, Cutflower, Dried Flower/Everlasting, Mixed Border
Botanical Name
ENCEPHALARTOS altensteinii
Molinia arundinacea
Common Name
Bread Tree, Prickly Cycad
Moor Grass
In Hindi
Bread Tree
Tall Moor Grass
In German
Brotbaum
Hoch Pfeifengras
In French
Bread Arbre
Herbe Moor hauteur
In Spanish
Árbol del pan
Tall Grass Moor
In Greek
ψωμί Δέντρο
Ψηλός Moor Grass
In Portuguese
Árvore de pão
Alto Moor Relva
In Polish
chleb Drzewo
Wysoki Moor Trawa
In Latin
panis ligno
Alta Maurus Grass
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Equisetopsida
Liliopsida
Order
Cycadales
Cyperales
Family
Cycadaceae
Poaceae
Genus
Encephalartos
Molinia
Clade
-
Angiosperms, Commelinids, Monocots
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
-
-
Number of Species
662
1
27800
👆🏻