Encephalartos sclavoi

Encephalartos sclavoi is also known as Sclavo's Cycad. Knowledgeable cycad collectors consider this plant to be one of the most distinctive and handsome cycads.

Its leaves grow 5 1/2 to 6 feet long, dark green to blue-green, and semiglossy. Its seed cones are yellow, being 12-16 inches tall and 6-8 inches in diameter.

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Encephalartos sclavoi is native to the Usambara Mountains of Tanzania. It is considered very rare, and larger specimens of this size are very hard to come by in the US. It is a medium-to-large sized cycad, whose trunk grows to over 3 feet tall. It is more moisture-tolerant than many of the South African cycads.

In The Cycads, cycad expert Loran Whitelock states, "Encephalartos sclavoi is a most rewarding plant, in cultivation. Its beauty and ease of horticulture make it one of the finest cycads for use in the garden. Even thought the habitat of E. sclavoi is close to the equator, the high elevation at which it occurs gives it a remarkable degree of cold tolerance. It can also be grown in full sun without its leaves burning."