Life Span
Biennial
Perennial
Type
Palm or Cycad
Grass
Origin
South Africa
North America, United States, Canada
Types
Alexandria cycad, Encephalartos caffer, Encephalartos concinnus
Schizachyrium scoparium
Number of Varieties
6630
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Riverbanks, Rocky areas, Scrubs
Hillside, Prairies, Roadsides
USDA Hardiness Zone
9-122-7
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-8
7 - 1
Sunset Zone
H1, H2, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Clump-Forming
Upright/Erect
Plant Size
Minimum Height
290.00 cm60.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
240.00 cm30.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
-
-
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
-
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Dark Green
Blue Green, Gray Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Dark Green
Light Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Dark Green
Yellow, Red, Bronze, Orange Red
Leaf Color in Winter
Dark Green
Tan, Bronze
Shape
Leaf Shape
Pinnate
Grass like
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Full Sun
Growth Rate
Slow
Fast
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Average
Bloom Time
Early Summer, Summer
Summer, Late Summer
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground, Pot
Container, Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Divison, Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Low
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Needs very little water
Requires watering in the growing season
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Ample Water
In Winter
Average Water
Ample Water
Soil
Soil pH
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Type
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Average
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
No pruning needed in the early stages, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
No fertilizers needed
Pests and Diseases
Red blotch
fungus, Leaf spot
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
Fine
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Birds
Bees
Allergy
-
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
-
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification, Shadow Tree, Windbreak
Erosion control, Wildlife
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
-
-
Part of Plant Used
Leaves, Seeds, Stem
Whole plant
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
Dried Flower / Everlasting, Cutflower, Dried Flower/Everlasting, Groundcover, Mixed Border, Wildflower
Botanical Name
ENCEPHALARTOS altensteinii
SCHIZACHYRIUM scoparium
Common Name
Bread Tree, Prickly Cycad
Little Bluestem
In Hindi
Bread Tree
little bluestem
In German
Brotbaum
wenig bluestem
In French
Bread Arbre
barbon
In Spanish
Árbol del pan
Poco bluestem
In Greek
ψωμί Δέντρο
Μικρή bluestem
In Portuguese
Árvore de pão
pouco bluestem
In Polish
chleb Drzewo
trochę bluestem
In Latin
panis ligno
parum bluestem
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Equisetopsida
Liliopsida
Order
Cycadales
Cyperales
Family
Cycadaceae
Poaceae
Genus
Encephalartos
Schizachyrium
Clade
-
Angiosperms, Commelinids, Monocots
Tribe
-
Andropogoneae
Subfamily
-
Panicoideae
Number of Species
6610
1
27800
👆🏻