Life Span
Biennial
Perennial
Type
Palm or Cycad
Herbaceous Perennial
Origin
South Africa
China, Japan, Korea
Types
Alexandria cycad, Encephalartos caffer, Encephalartos concinnus
-
Number of Varieties
6615
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Riverbanks, Rocky areas, Scrubs
Lake Sides, River side
USDA Hardiness Zone
9-125-9
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-8
9-4
Sunset Zone
H1, H2, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Clump-Forming
Clump-Forming
Plant Size
Minimum Height
290.00 cm60.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
240.00 cm120.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
-
Light Yellow, Ivory
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
Leaf Color in Winter
Dark Green
-
Shape
Leaf Shape
Pinnate
Orbiculate
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Spring, Summer, Fall
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Partial shade, Full Shade
Growth Rate
Slow
Fast
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Clay, Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Poorly Drained
Bloom Time
Early Summer, Summer
Early Spring, Late Winter
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Wet Site
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground, Pot
Container, Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings
From Rhizomes
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Needs very little water
Keep ground moist, Requires consistently moist soil
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
Poorly Drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Partial shade, Full Shade
Pruning
Remove crossing or rubbing branches, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves, Remove dead or diseased plant parts
Cut or pinch the stems, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, Requires high amount of nitrogen
Pests and Diseases
Red blotch
Red blotch
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Drought, Drought and Wet Site
Flowers
Insignificant
Showy
Flower Petal Number
-
-
Fruits
Showy Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Edible Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrance
Fragrant Flower
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Leaf
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Bark/Stem
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Foliage
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Bark
✔
✘
✔
✘
Foliage Texture
Bold
Bold
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
Glossy
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Birds
-
Allergy
-
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
Beautification
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification, Shadow Tree, Windbreak
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
-
Antiasthamatic, Expectorant, Miscellany
Part of Plant Used
Leaves, Seeds, Stem
Flowers, Stem
Other Uses
Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for its medicinal properties
-
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Feature Plant, Foundation, Mixed Border, Tropical
Bog Garden, Container, Water Gardens
Botanical Name
ENCEPHALARTOS altensteinii
PETASITES japonicus 'Argentea'
Common Name
Bread Tree, Prickly Cycad
Giant Butterbur, Japanese Butterbur, Variegated Butterbur
In Hindi
Bread Tree
Japanese Butterbur
In German
Brotbaum
japanische Pestwurz
In French
Bread Arbre
Japanese Butterbur
In Spanish
Árbol del pan
petasita japonesa
In Greek
ψωμί Δέντρο
Japanese Butterbur
In Portuguese
Árvore de pão
Carrapicho japonês
In Polish
chleb Drzewo
japoński Lepiężnik
In Latin
panis ligno
Japanese Butterbur
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Tracheophyta
Class
Equisetopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Cycadales
Asterales
Family
Cycadaceae
Asteraceae
Genus
Encephalartos
Petasites
Clade
-
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
-
-
Number of Species
668
1
27800
👆🏻