Life Span
Annual and Perennial
Biennial
Type
Tender Perennial
Palm or Cycad
Origin
Brazil
South Africa
Types
Yellow Bloodleaf, Herbst's Bloodleaf, Standley's Bloodleaf
Alexandria cycad, Encephalartos caffer, Encephalartos concinnus
Number of Varieties
7066
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
tropical environments
Riverbanks, Rocky areas, Scrubs
USDA Hardiness Zone
11-159-12
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-1
12-8
Sunset Zone
H1, H2, 22, 23, 24
H1, H2, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Oval or Rounded
Clump-Forming
Plant Size
Minimum Height
15.24 cm290.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
20.32 cm240.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
-
-
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
-
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Red, Green, Purple
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Red, Green, Purple
Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Red, Green, Purple
Dark Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Light Green
Dark Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Oval
Pinnate
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Growth Rate
Fast
Slow
Type of Soil
Loam
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
-
Early Summer, Summer
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground, Pot
Container, Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Softwood cuttings, Stem Cutting, Tip cutting
Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Medium
Needs very little water
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Acidic, Neutral
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Type
Loam
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Pruning
Cut or pinch the stems, Remove branches that rub together, Remove crossing or rubbing branches, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves, Remove dead or diseased plant parts, Remove deadheads
Remove crossing or rubbing branches, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves, Remove dead or diseased plant parts
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, Balanced liquid fertilizer every 4 weeks
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Red blotch
Red blotch
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Drought
Flowers
-
Insignificant
Flower Petal Number
-
-
Fruits
Showy Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Edible Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrance
Fragrant Flower
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Leaf
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Bark/Stem
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Foliage
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Bark
✔
✘
✔
✘
Foliage Texture
Medium
Bold
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
Glossy
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Insects, Wildlife
Birds
Allergy
Pollen
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification, Indoor Air Purification, Provides ground cover
Air purification, Shadow Tree, Windbreak
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
-
-
Part of Plant Used
Leaves
Leaves, Seeds, Stem
Other Uses
Showy Purposes
Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for its medicinal properties
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Bedding Plant, Container, Feature Plant, Houseplant, Mixed Border
Feature Plant, Foundation, Mixed Border, Tropical
Botanical Name
IRESINE herbstii
ENCEPHALARTOS altensteinii
Common Name
Bloodleaf, Herbst's bloodleaf
Bread Tree, Prickly Cycad
In Hindi
Bloodleaf Plant
Bread Tree
In German
Bloodleaf Pflanze
Brotbaum
In French
Feuillesang Plante
Bread Arbre
In Spanish
Planta Sangrienta
Árbol del pan
In Greek
Bloodleaf φυτών
ψωμί Δέντρο
In Portuguese
Bloodleaf Planta
Árvore de pão
In Polish
Bloodleaf roślin
chleb Drzewo
In Latin
Planta Bloodleaf
panis ligno
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Tracheophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Equisetopsida
Order
Caryophyllales
Cycadales
Family
Amaranthaceae
Cycadaceae
Genus
Iresine
Encephalartos
Clade
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots
-
Tribe
Gomphreneae
-
Subfamily
Gomphrenoideae
-
Number of Species
7066
1
27800
👆🏻