Life Span
Biennial
Perennial
Type
Palm or Cycad
Herbaceous Perennial
Origin
South Africa
Africa, Kenya, South Africa
Types
Alexandria cycad, Encephalartos caffer, Encephalartos concinnus
Freesia
Number of Varieties
6615
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Riverbanks, Rocky areas, Scrubs
gardens, Grassland, Homesteads, Tropical regions, Wet forest
USDA Hardiness Zone
9-129-10
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-8
-
Sunset Zone
H1, H2, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
-
Habit
Clump-Forming
Upright/Erect
Plant Size
Minimum Height
290.00 cm50.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
240.00 cm40.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
-
Yellow
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
-
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Dark Green
Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Dark Green
Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Dark Green
Green, Light Yellow, Brown
Leaf Color in Winter
Dark Green
Light Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Pinnate
Linear
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Spring
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Growth Rate
Slow
Medium
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Clay, Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Slightly Acidic
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Early Summer, Summer
Early Spring, Spring
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground, Pot
Container, Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Seedlings
From bulbs
Plant Maintenance
Medium
High
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Needs very little water
Keep the ground moist but not water-logged, Needs a lot of moisture in the growing season, Stop watering completely once the plant becomes dormant
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Slightly Acidic
Soil Type
Loam, Sand
Clay, Loam, Sand, Well drained
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Full Shade, Indirect sunlight, Partial shade, Partial Sun
Pruning
Remove crossing or rubbing branches, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves, Remove dead or diseased plant parts
Cut away fading foliage, Remove deadheads, Requires very little pruning
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
20-20-20 amount, All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, Fertilize in early spring, Potash
Pests and Diseases
Red blotch
Pests and diseases free
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Salt and Soil Compaction, Shade areas
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, Ground Cover, Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
-
Hair Conditioner, Making cosmetics, Skin cleanser
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification, Shadow Tree, Windbreak
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
-
-
Part of Plant Used
Leaves, Seeds, Stem
Bulbs, Flowers
Other Uses
Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for its medicinal properties
Cosmetics, Decoration Purposes, Showy Purposes, Used for fragrance
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Feature Plant, Foundation, Mixed Border, Tropical
Feature Plant, Flower borders, Screening
Botanical Name
ENCEPHALARTOS altensteinii
Freesia refracta
Common Name
Bread Tree, Prickly Cycad
Freesia
In Hindi
Bread Tree
Freesia
In German
Brotbaum
Freesie
In French
Bread Arbre
Freesia
In Spanish
Árbol del pan
fresia
In Greek
ψωμί Δέντρο
freesia
In Portuguese
Árvore de pão
freesia
In Polish
chleb Drzewo
frezja
In Latin
panis ligno
Freesia
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Equisetopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Cycadales
Asparagales
Family
Cycadaceae
Iridaceae
Genus
Encephalartos
Freesia
Clade
-
Angiosperms, Monocots
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
-
Ixioideae
Number of Species
6616
1
27800
👆🏻