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''Encephalartos eugene-maraisii'' is a
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
of
cycad
Cycads are seed plants that typically have a stout and woody (ligneous) trunk (botany), trunk with a crown (botany), crown of large, hard, stiff, evergreen and (usually) pinnate leaves. The species are dioecious, that is, individual plants o ...
in the family
Zamiaceae
The Zamiaceae are a family of cycads that are superficially palm or fern-like. They are divided into two subfamilies with eight genera and about 150 species in the tropical and subtropical regions of Africa, Australia and North and South America. ...
. It is
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...
to
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
, where it is limited to
Limpopo
Limpopo is the northernmost province of South Africa. It is named after the Limpopo River, which forms the province's western and northern borders. The capital and largest city in the province is Polokwane, while the provincial legislature is ...
. It is known as the Waterberg cycad.
[
This plant grows in the ]sandstone
Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks.
Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) ...
hills of the Waterberg Range at 1400 to 1500 meters in elevation. The habitat is grassland
A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes, like clover, and other herbs. Grasslands occur natur ...
and savanna
A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to ...
. This endangered species
An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inv ...
is threatened by overcollection.[
This species was named for South African naturalist ]Eugène Marais
Eugène Nielen Marais (; 9 January 1871 – 29 March 1936) was a South African lawyer, naturalist, poet and writer. He has been hailed as an intellectual genius and an Afrikaner hero.
His early years, before and during the Boer War
Marais w ...
.[Gray, S. (2013)]
Soul-brother Eugène N. Marais: Some notes towards a re-edit of his works.
''Tydskrif vir letterkunde'', 50(2), 62-80.
Description
It is an arborescent plant, with a stem up to 2.5 m long and 30-45 cm in diameter.
The leaves are 100-150 cm long, bluish or silvery and strongly keeled. The spine is sometimes twisted in a spiral and the upper part is clearly curved. The lanceolate leaflets, 15–20 cm long, are arranged on the rachis in the opposite way, at an angle of 45-80°; the margins are whole and smooth, although the leaflets of the basal part of the leaf can be equipped with a single spine in the lower margin.
It is a dioecious species, with fusiform male cones, brown in color, 20–40 cm long and 6–8 cm broad. Each plant produces up to three. The female cones, ovoid in shape, are 30–50 cm long and have a diameter of 16–20 cm. On each plant they grow up to two at a time.
The seeds, 35–40 mm long, have an oblong shape and are covered with an orange or brown flesh.
See also
*Waterberg Biosphere
The Waterberg ( nso, Thaba Meetse) is a mountainous massif of approximately in north Limpopo Province, South Africa.
The average height of the mountain range is 600 m with a few peaks rising up to 2000 m above sea level. Vaalwater town is lo ...
References
External links
''Encephalartos eugene-maraisii''.
Tropicos.
*
*
eugene-maraisii
Flora of the Northern Provinces
Endemic flora of South Africa
Plants described in 1945
{{cycad-stub