Hottentot bread-fruit, Kaffir bread, Caffir bread
Encephalartos caffer

Family: Zamiaceae

What it is like

A cycad. It is a plant with an underground stem. It has tuberous roots. The stem is 30 cm long and 15-25 cm wide. It is woolly at the crown. The leaves are 40-90 cm long. There are several leaflets.

Where it is found

It is a subtropical plant.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, South Africa, Southern Africa

How it is used for food

The centre of the trunk is used as food. It is the source of starch used for a kind of bread. The centre of the female cones is used as food. The flesh around the female cones is used as food. The stem is buried for some months, then pounded used as food.

Edible parts

Pith, fruit, stem

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

Cycas caffra Thunb. Cycas villosa A. DC.; and others