Life Span
Perennial
Biennial
Type
Shrub
Palm or Cycad
Origin
Europe, Morocco, Western Asia
South Africa
Types
-
Alexandria cycad, Encephalartos caffer, Encephalartos concinnus
Number of Varieties
70066
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Boggy areas, Dry and Young forest Heaths, Mountain Slopes, Temperate Regions
Riverbanks, Rocky areas, Scrubs
USDA Hardiness Zone
5-89-12
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
8-5
12-8
Sunset Zone
A1, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 15, 16, 17
H1, H2, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Clump-Forming
Clump-Forming
Plant Size
Minimum Height
10.20 cm290.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
610.00 cm240.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
White, Red, Pink
-
Flower Color Modifier
-
Bicolor
Fruit Color
-
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Gray Green, Dark Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Gray Green, Dark Green
Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green, Gray Green, Dark Green
Dark Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Gray Green, Dark Green
Dark Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Needle like
Pinnate
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Growth Rate
Medium
Slow
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Acidic
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Summer, Late Summer, Early Fall, Fall
Early Summer, Summer
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
-
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground, Pot
Container, Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Divison, Seedlings, Stem Cutting
Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Low
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Average Water Needs
Needs very little water
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Acidic
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Type
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Pruning
Prune in early summer, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Remove crossing or rubbing branches, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves, Remove dead or diseased plant parts
Fertilizers
Ammonium Nitrate
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Armillaria mellea, Chlorosis, Crown rot, Powdery mildew, Root rot, Rust, Verticillium Wilt
Red blotch
Plant Tolerance
Drought, Dry soil, Shade areas, Wet Site
Drought
Flowers
Showy
Insignificant
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
Fine
Bold
Foliage Sheen
Matte
Glossy
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Bees, Butterflies, Moths
Birds
Allergy
-
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Beautification, Bouquets, Cottage Garden, Showy Purposes
Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
Skin inflammation
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Food for animals, Food for insects
Air purification, Shadow Tree, Windbreak
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Arthritis, Bladder Infection, Colic, Diarrhea, Gout, Inflammation, Kidney Stones, Rheumatism, Stomach pain, Urinary tract problems
-
Part of Plant Used
Flowers
Leaves, Seeds, Stem
Other Uses
Can be made into a herbal tea, Food for animals, Used for its medicinal properties
Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for its medicinal properties
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Container, Cutflower, Edging, Foundation, Groundcover, Mixed Border, Rock Garden, Wall
Feature Plant, Foundation, Mixed Border, Tropical
Botanical Name
CALLUNA vulgaris
ENCEPHALARTOS altensteinii
Common Name
Heather, Common heather, Ling
Bread Tree, Prickly Cycad
In Hindi
हीथ
Bread Tree
In German
Heidekraut
Brotbaum
In French
bruyère
Bread Arbre
In Spanish
brezo
Árbol del pan
In Greek
ερείκη
ψωμί Δέντρο
In Portuguese
urze
Árvore de pão
In Polish
wrzos
chleb Drzewo
In Latin
Heather
panis ligno
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Tracheophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Equisetopsida
Order
Ericales
Cycadales
Family
Ericaceae
Cycadaceae
Genus
Calluna
Encephalartos
Clade
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
-
Tribe
Ericeae
-
Subfamily
Ericoideae
-
Number of Species
86066
1
27800
👆🏻