Modjadji cycad
Encephalartos transvenosus
Family: Zamiaceae
What it is like
A tall plant. It grows to 12 m tall. The trunk is thick and scarred. It has a netted pattern. The crown is made up of shiny straight leaves. The leaves are spiny and up to 2.4 m long. The leaflets are broad; the middle one being 3 cm wide. They are often slightly curved and have teeth along the edges. The fruit occur as cones. 2 to 4 cones occur together. They are large and the female cones are the biggest. They can be 80 cm long and weigh 34 kg, They occur in the heart of the big green leaves. The seed are orange red. The thin fully ripe flesh around the seed is edible.
There are 52 Encephalartos species.
Where it is found
A tropical plant. It grows in the mountains in South Africa. It grows in forests and on hillsides. In South Africa it grows in regions with warm to hot summers and mild but frost free winters. It grows between 600-1000 m altitude. The rainfall is 500-1000 mm with a summer maximum.
Countries/locations it is found in
Africa, Australia, East Africa, Mozambique, South Africa (country/location of origin), Southern Africa
How it is used for food
The fully ripe flesh around the seeds is eaten, especially by children. The stem is cut into slices and buried until it becomes partly fermented then it is sliced and sun dried before crushing into flour. This is eaten after boiling. CAUTION: The seed kernel is poisonous.
Edible parts
Flesh around seeds, caution
How it is grown
Plants are grown from seed. Seed germinate easily. Plants can be grown from suckers. Suckers transplant easily.
It grows quickly. It can produce seeds 11 years after planting from seed.
Its other names
Local names
Likobe, Modjadjibroodboom, Mtondolo, Mucovela, Mugobela