Life Span
Annual and Perennial
Perennial
Type
Shrub
Palm or Cycad
Origin
South Africa
South Africa
Types
Cephalanthus occidentalis
Encephalartos lebomboensis
Number of Varieties
710
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Boggy areas, Dappled Shade, Shady Edge, Sunny Edge, Woodland Garden Canopy
Upland savannas
USDA Hardiness Zone
9-119-13
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
9-1
12-8
Sunset Zone
H1, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
H1, H2, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Upright/Erect
Arching/Fountain-shaped
Plant Size
Minimum Height
365.76 cm300.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
182.88 cm300.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Light Yellow, Ivory
-
Flower Color Modifier
-
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Brown
Yellow, Orange, Orange Red
Leaf Color in Spring
Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green
Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green
Dark Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Green
Dark Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Egg-shaped
Long linear and narrow
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Medium
Very Slow
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral
Acidic, Neutral
Soil Drainage
Average
Well drained
Bloom Time
Early Spring, Spring, Late Spring, Winter, Late Winter
-
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Wet Site
Light Frost
Where to Plant?
Ground, Pot
Container, Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Seedlings, Stem Cutting
Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Low
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Requires 4 to 8 inches of water above the soil line
Needs less watering
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Acidic, Neutral
Acidic, Neutral
Soil Type
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Average
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Partial Sun
Pruning
Prune in early summer, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves, Trim each shoot back to the first set of leaves
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Red blotch
Cycad weevils, Root Pathogen
Plant Tolerance
Wet Site
Light Frost
Flowers
✔
✘
✔
✘
Flower Petal Number
-
-
Fruits
Showy Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Edible Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrance
Fragrant Flower
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Leaf
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Bark/Stem
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Foliage
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Bark
✔
✘
✔
✘
Foliage Texture
Fine
Bold
Foliage Sheen
Matte
Glossy
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Butterflies
pollinators
Allergy
Toxic
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
Cottage Garden, Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Astringent, Diaphoretic, Diuretic, Emetic, Febrifuge, Laxative, Odontalgic, Ophthalmic, Tonic
-
Part of Plant Used
Bark, Fruits, Inner Bark, Root, Wood
Bark, Pine
Other Uses
Used for woodware
Traditional medicine
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Bog Garden, Cutflower, Dried Flower, Everlasting, Feature Plant, Mixed Border, Tropical
Feature Plant, Mixed Border, Rock Garden / Wall, Tropical
Botanical Name
BERZELIA lanuginosa
Encephalartos lebomboensis
Common Name
Buttonbush
Lebombo Cycad
In Hindi
Buttonbush shrub
Lebombo Cycad
In German
Button Strauch
Lebombo Palmfarn
In French
buttonbush arbuste
Lebombo Cycad
In Spanish
arbusto buttonbush
Lebombo cícadas
In Greek
Buttonbush θάμνος
Lebombo Cycad
In Portuguese
arbusto Buttonbush
Lebombo Cycad
In Polish
Buttonbush krzew
Lebombo Cycad
In Latin
Frutex Buttonbush
Lebombo Cycad
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Cycadophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Cycadopsida
Order
Rubiales
Cycadales
Family
Bruniaceae
Cycadaceae
Genus
Cephalanthus
Encephalartos
Clade
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
-
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
-
-
Number of Species
1266
1
27800
👆🏻