Encephalartos caffer
Eastern Cape dwarf cycad | |
---|---|
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Gymnospermae |
Division: | Cycadophyta |
Class: | Cycadopsida |
Order: | Cycadales |
Family: | Zamiaceae |
Genus: | Encephalartos |
Species: | E. caffer
|
Binomial name | |
Encephalartos caffer |
Encephalartos caffer, the Eastern Cape dwarf cycad, is a rare cycad from the genus Encephalartos.
Description
It typically has an underground stem, with a small portion on top, the stem is only very rarely branched and may be as much as 40 cm long.
Range and habitat
Approximately 10,000 mature individuals are confined to the
Found in the coastal belt and up to 100 km inland, usually growing in
Biology
Cycads are
All cycads possess 'coralloid' (meaning coral-like) roots. These roots contain symbiotic cyanobacteria that fix gaseous nitrogen from the atmosphere and provide essential nitrogenous compounds to the plant. This can be a great advantage, as many cycads grow in nutrient-poor habitats.[7]
Conservation
The Eastern Cape dwarf cycad was one of the first three Cape cycads to be declared endangered by the Cape Provincial Nature Conservation authorities. Collectors have seriously depleted numbers in certain areas, particularly in easily accessible terrain. Large numbers have also been destroyed by conversion of land to agriculture, such as in the Humansdorp and Albany districts.[3]
A few viable colonies are protected on state-owned land, and a large colony occurs in the Cape provincial cycad reserve near
E. caffer is classified as Near Threatened (NT) on the
References
This article incorporates text from the
- . Retrieved 20 November 2021.
- ^ "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
- ^ a b c d e f "Cycad Society of South Africa". Cycad Society of South Africa. Archived from the original on 2006-12-07. Retrieved 15 December 2006.
- ^ "Jurassic Garden". December 2006. Retrieved 2007-09-17.
- ^ "IUCN Red List". September 2007. Archived from the original on 2014-06-27. Retrieved 2007-09-17.
- ^ Dr John Donaldson, Chief Director of Conservation Science, Head of Kirstenbosch Research Centre, South African National Biodiversity Institute
- ^ a b "Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney – The Cycad Pages". December 2006. Archived from the original on 29 March 2021. Retrieved 1 August 2011.
- ^ "CITES". Retrieved 15 October 2006.
External links
- Media related to Encephalartos caffer at Wikimedia Commons
- Data related to Encephalartos caffer at Wikispecies
- Cycad Society of South Africa
- eastern-cape-dwarf-cycad/encephalartos-caffer Encephalartos caffer media from ARKive