Life Span
Biennial
Perennial
Type
Palm or Cycad
Shrub
Origin
South Africa
Europe, Morocco, Western Asia
Types
Alexandria cycad, Encephalartos caffer, Encephalartos concinnus
-
Number of Varieties
66700
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Riverbanks, Rocky areas, Scrubs
Boggy areas, Dry and Young forest Heaths, Mountain Slopes, Temperate Regions
USDA Hardiness Zone
9-125-8
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-8
8-5
Sunset Zone
H1, H2, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
A1, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 15, 16, 17
Habit
Clump-Forming
Clump-Forming
Plant Size
Minimum Height
290.00 cm10.20 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
240.00 cm610.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
-
White, Red, Pink
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
-
Fruit Color
-
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Dark Green
Green, Gray Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Dark Green
Green, Gray Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Dark Green
Green, Gray Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Dark Green
Gray Green, Dark Green
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
Full Sun
Growth Rate
Slow
Medium
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Acidic
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Early Summer, Summer
Summer, Late Summer, Early Fall, Fall
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
-
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground, Pot
Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Divison, Seedlings, Stem Cutting
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Low
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Needs very little water
Average Water Needs
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
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
Prune in early summer, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Ammonium Nitrate
Pests and Diseases
Red blotch
Armillaria mellea, Chlorosis, Crown rot, Powdery mildew, Root rot, Rust, Verticillium Wilt
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Drought, Dry soil, Shade areas, Wet Site
Flowers
Insignificant
Showy
Flower Petal Number
-
Single, Double, Semi-Double
Fruits
Showy Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Edible Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrance
Fragrant Flower
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Leaf
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Bark/Stem
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Foliage
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Bark
✔
✘
✔
✘
Foliage Texture
Bold
Fine
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Birds
Bees, Butterflies, Moths
Allergy
-
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
Beautification, Bouquets, Cottage Garden, Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
-
Skin inflammation
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification, Shadow Tree, Windbreak
Food for animals, Food for insects
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
-
Arthritis, Bladder Infection, Colic, Diarrhea, Gout, Inflammation, Kidney Stones, Rheumatism, Stomach pain, Urinary tract problems
Part of Plant Used
Leaves, Seeds, Stem
Flowers
Other Uses
Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for its medicinal properties
Can be made into a herbal tea, Food for animals, Used for its medicinal properties
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Feature Plant, Foundation, Mixed Border, Tropical
Container, Cutflower, Edging, Foundation, Groundcover, Mixed Border, Rock Garden, Wall
Botanical Name
ENCEPHALARTOS altensteinii
CALLUNA vulgaris
Common Name
Bread Tree, Prickly Cycad
Heather, Common heather, Ling
In Hindi
Bread Tree
हीथ
In German
Brotbaum
Heidekraut
In French
Bread Arbre
bruyère
In Spanish
Árbol del pan
brezo
In Greek
ψωμί Δέντρο
ερείκη
In Portuguese
Árvore de pão
urze
In Polish
chleb Drzewo
wrzos
In Latin
panis ligno
Heather
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Equisetopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Cycadales
Ericales
Family
Cycadaceae
Ericaceae
Genus
Encephalartos
Calluna
Clade
-
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Tribe
-
Ericeae
Subfamily
-
Ericoideae
Number of Species
66860
1
27800
👆🏻