Encephalartos msinganus Plants

Encephalartos msinganus is an extremely rare medium sized cycad with dark green leaves. It is native to one small area near Msinga, central KwaZulu-Natal, between altitudes of 3000-4000 feet above sea level. An excellent garden and potted plant, is thrives in sun or shade and has excellent frost tolerance, originating from a high-altitude habitat. This plant is rarely found in gardens, and it is nearly extinct in the wild. So, so if you grow this plant in your garden (which we have grown from seed), you are doing your part to re-populate the world with Encephalartos msinganus.

When Encephalartos msinganus was first discovered in the late 1980's, it was thought to be a dwarf form of Encephalartos natalensis, or a form of Encephalartos senticosus. At that time, here were a few hundred widely scattered individual plants in collections and in habitat. At this point, collection has unfortunately almost eradicated the remaining Encephalartos msinganus in habitat, such that so few plants remain in habitat that the species is considered to be on the brink of extinction.

It often grows in clumps with trunks up to 10 feet tall. It has dark glossy green and rigid leaves, which grow to 5 feet long, slightly arching. Encephalartos msinganus grows in grass lands and cliffs on north facing slopes. As a southern hemisphere cycad, this orientation ensures that the plant grows in a consistently sunny location year-round. It likes a sunny, very well drained position.