Life Span
Biennial
Perennial
Type
Palm or Cycad
Tree
Origin
South Africa
Europe, Northern Africa, Western Asia
Types
Alexandria cycad, Encephalartos caffer, Encephalartos concinnus
A. campestre var. campestre - downy fruit
A. campestre var. leiocarpum (Opiz) Wallr. (syn. A. campestre subsp. leiocarpum) - hairless fruit
Number of Varieties
662
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Riverbanks, Rocky areas, Scrubs
Forest margins, gardens, Suburban areas, Woods
USDA Hardiness Zone
9-125-8
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-8
8-4
Sunset Zone
H1, H2, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, 16, 17
Habit
Clump-Forming
Oval or Rounded
Plant Size
Minimum Height
290.00 cm910.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
240.00 cm910.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
-
Green, Light Yellow
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
-
Light Yellow, Light Pink, Light Green, Tan
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Dark Green
Green, Light Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Dark Green
Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Dark Green
Yellow, Gold, Tan
Leaf Color in Winter
Dark Green
-
Shape
Leaf Shape
Pinnate
Maple shaped
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Spring, Summer, Fall
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
Early Spring
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Pollution, Soil Compaction
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground, Pot
Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Grafting, Seedlings, Transplanting
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Needs very little water
Needs watering once a week, Requires watering in the growing season
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
Prune if you want to improve plant shape, Prune in winter, Prune to stimulate growth, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead leaves, Remove deadheads
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Red blotch
Fungal Diseases
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Drought
Flowers
Insignificant
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
Medium
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
Glossy
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Birds
-
Allergy
-
Asthma
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification, Shadow Tree, Windbreak
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
-
Sore Eyes
Part of Plant Used
Leaves, Seeds, Stem
Bark, Sap
Other Uses
Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for its medicinal properties
Grown for shade, Used in Furniture, Used in making musical instruments
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Feature Plant, Foundation, Mixed Border, Tropical
Feature Plant, Hedges, Screening / Wind Break, Shade Trees
Botanical Name
ENCEPHALARTOS altensteinii
ACER campestre
Common Name
Bread Tree, Prickly Cycad
Field Maple, Hedge Maple
In Hindi
Bread Tree
फील्ड मेपल
In German
Brotbaum
Feld-Ahorn
In French
Bread Arbre
Maple terrain
In Spanish
Árbol del pan
arce de campo
In Greek
ψωμί Δέντρο
Το πεδίο Maple
In Portuguese
Árvore de pão
bordo de campo
In Polish
chleb Drzewo
Klon polny
In Latin
panis ligno
Field Maple
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Equisetopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Cycadales
Sapindales
Family
Cycadaceae
Aceraceae
Genus
Encephalartos
Acer
Clade
-
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
-
Hippocastanoideae
Number of Species
66128
1
27800
👆🏻