Life Span
Biennial
Perennial
Type
Palm or Cycad
Shrub
Origin
South Africa
China, Japan
Types
Alexandria cycad, Encephalartos caffer, Encephalartos concinnus
-
Number of Varieties
6630
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Riverbanks, Rocky areas, Scrubs
Well Drained
USDA Hardiness Zone
9-126-9
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-8
9-1
Sunset Zone
H1, H2, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Clump-Forming
Oval or Rounded
Plant Size
Minimum Height
290.00 cm90.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
240.00 cm60.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
-
Blue Violet
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
-
Fruit Color
-
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Dark Green
Gray Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Dark Green
Gray Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Dark Green
Gray Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Dark Green
-
Shape
Leaf Shape
Pinnate
Rhomboid
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Summer, Fall
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Full Sun
Growth Rate
Slow
Medium
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Acidic, Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Early Summer, Summer
Late Summer, Early Fall
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground, Pot
Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Cuttings, Rooted stem cutting
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Needs very little water
Needs less watering, 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
Soil Type
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Full Sun
Pruning
Remove crossing or rubbing branches, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves, Remove dead or diseased plant parts
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead flowers, Remove dead leaves, Remove dead or diseased plant parts, Remove deadheads
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, Apply N-P-K
Pests and Diseases
Red blotch
bees, Red blotch, Whiteflies
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Drought, Drought and Wet Site, Variety of soil types
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
Butterflies
Allergy
-
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
Beautification, Ornamental use, Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification, Shadow Tree, Windbreak
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
-
-
Part of Plant Used
Leaves, Seeds, Stem
-
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
Foundation, Mixed Border
Botanical Name
ENCEPHALARTOS altensteinii
CARYOPTERIS incana
Common Name
Bread Tree, Prickly Cycad
bluebeard
you shu
In Hindi
Bread Tree
Bluebeard
In German
Brotbaum
Blaubart
In French
Bread Arbre
Bluebeard
In Spanish
Árbol del pan
Barba Azul
In Greek
ψωμί Δέντρο
Κυανοπώγωνα
In Portuguese
Árvore de pão
Barba Azul
In Polish
chleb Drzewo
Sinobrody
In Latin
panis ligno
Bluebeard
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Streptophyta
Class
Equisetopsida
-
Order
Cycadales
Lamiales
Family
Cycadaceae
Verbenaceae
Genus
Encephalartos
Caryopteris
Clade
-
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
-
-
Number of Species
667
1
27800
👆🏻