''Encephalartos pterogonus'' 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 with a crown of large, hard, stiff, evergreen and (usually) pinnate leaves. The species are dioecious, that is, individual plants of a species are either male o ...
that is native to Mount Mruwere (Monte Urueri) and adjacent mountains in the Manica province of
Mozambique
Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...
.
Description
It is a cycad with an erect stem, up to 1.5 m tall and with a diameter of about 40 cm, sometimes with secondary stems that originate from suckers that arise at the base of the main stem.
The leaves, pinnate, 1.2-1.5 m long, are arranged in a crown at the apex of the stem and are supported by a 4-8 cm long petiole; each leaf is composed of several pairs of dark green lanceolate leaflets, on average 15-18 cm long.
It is a dioecious species with male specimens showing 1-3 cones, spindle-shaped, 30–38 cm long and 10–11 cm broad, pedunculated, and female specimens with 2-3 coarsely cylindrical cones, 35–40 cm long and with a diameter of 16-18 cm, bright green.
The seeds are coarsely ovoid, 28–35 mm long, covered with an orange-red sarcotesta when ripe.
References
External links
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pterogonus
Plants described in 2010
{{cycad-stub