Encephalartos barteri

Encephalartos barteri is the westernmost member of its genus and the only cycad native to West Africa, ranging from Ghana and Togo through Benin to central Nigeria. It grows on dry rocky hillsides, granite outcrops, and riverbanks in savanna that burns regularly. Its short, mostly underground stem rarely rises more than a foot above the soil, which helps protect the growing point from fire. The bright green leaves are 3½ to 5½ feet long, with about 80 pairs of narrow leaflets that have a few small teeth along the margins. Male cones are slender and up to 9 inches long. Female cones are green, egg-shaped, and up to about 14 inches long, with seeds covered in a red fleshy coat. The species is named for Charles Barter, who collected the type specimen at Jebba, Nigeria, in 1858. A second subspecies, subsp. allochrous, from Nigeria’s Plateau State, is named for its new leaves, which emerge brownish before turning green. E. barteri is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. It is strictly tropical, sensitive to cold, and does best in filtered light.

Weight: 3.4 oz.

Viability: 20%