Life Span
Biennial
Perennial
Type
Palm or Cycad
Flowering Plants
Origin
South Africa
North-Central United States, Central United States, Western United States, Texas
Types
Alexandria cycad, Encephalartos caffer, Encephalartos concinnus
Blue Toadflax, Old-Field Toadflax
Number of Varieties
6630
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Riverbanks, Rocky areas, Scrubs
Cultivated Beds
USDA Hardiness Zone
9-123-9
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-8
9-1
Sunset Zone
H1, H2, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 10
Habit
Clump-Forming
Upright/Erect
Plant Size
Minimum Height
290.00 cm61.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
240.00 cm25.40 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
-
Pink, Light Blue, Lavender
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
-
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Dark Green
Light Green, Blue Green, Gray Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Dark Green
Blue Green, Gray Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Dark Green
Blue Green, Gray Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Dark Green
-
Shape
Leaf Shape
Pinnate
Oval to egg shaped
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Spring, Summer
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Slow
Fast
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Clay, Loam
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Early Summer, Summer
Late Spring, Early Summer, Summer
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground, Pot
Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Cuttings, Divison, Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Needs very little water
Average Water Needs, Do Not over Water
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Type
Loam, Sand
Clay, Loam
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
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
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
use all-purpose fertilizers
Pests and Diseases
Red blotch
Foliar disease, Root rot, Spider mites
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Drought
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
Bumblebees
Allergy
-
Depression, High blood cholestrol, Pain
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification, Shadow Tree, Windbreak
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
-
Analgesic, Febrifuge, Stomachic
Part of Plant Used
Leaves, Seeds, Stem
Leaves, Root
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
Rock Garden / Wall, Wildflower
Botanical Name
ENCEPHALARTOS altensteinii
PENSTEMON grandiflorus
Common Name
Bread Tree, Prickly Cycad
Large Beardtongue, Shell-leaf Penstemon, Wild Snapdragon
In Hindi
Bread Tree
Wild Snapdragon
In German
Brotbaum
Wilde Snapdragon
In French
Bread Arbre
Snapdragon sauvage
In Spanish
Árbol del pan
Salvaje Snapdragon
In Greek
ψωμί Δέντρο
άγρια Snapdragon
In Portuguese
Árvore de pão
Selvagem Snapdragon
In Polish
chleb Drzewo
Dziki Snapdragon
In Latin
panis ligno
Phlox Ferae
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Equisetopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Cycadales
Scrophulariales
Family
Cycadaceae
Scrophulariaceae
Genus
Encephalartos
Penstemon
Clade
-
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
-
Scrophularioideae
Number of Species
6640
1
27800
👆🏻