Encephalartos ghellinckii

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Encephalartos ghellinckii
Encephalartos ghellinckii02.jpg
CITES Appendix I (CITES) [2]
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Gymnospermae
Division: Cycadophyta
Class: Cycadopsida
Order: Cycadales
Family: Zamiaceae
Genus: Encephalartos
Species:
E. ghellinckii
Binomial name
Encephalartos ghellinckii

Encephalartos ghellinckii Lem. or Drakensberg cycad is endemic to South Africa, and is one of about 70 species found in sub-Saharan Africa. Strongly associated with the Natal Drakensberg, this 3m tall evergreen species is found from the foothills to fairly high altitudes, growing on stream banks, steep grassy slopes and sandstone outcrops. Its preferred habitat lying within grassveld, it has developed resistance to veldfires, and also the intense cold brought on by snow and frost. [3]

Contents

Distribution

It is found in three distinct and separate areas in KwaZulu-Natal and northern Transkei. Plants from the high-altitude areas are more robust and usually have a fire-scarred base. The low altitude plants, such as those near the Umkomaas River, are stunted or dwarf-like and may have up to five trunks, often blackened by grass fires, which are thought to stimulate leaf and cone production. The plants growing in tall grassveld are usually spindly with tall stems, and have a tendency to lean over, often becoming quite procumbent.

Description

Fronds are olive to yellow-green, and about 1m long, while leaflets are narrow (80–140 x 2–4 mm), with strongly revolute margins. Juvenile leaves are covered in greyish wool, becoming glabrous with age. Both male and female lemon-coloured cones are some 25 cm in length, occur in clusters of 2–5, and are densely woolly. Initially believed to be wind-pollinated, recent studies show that cones are pollinated mainly by the weevil family, and beetles from the Boganiidae, such as Metacucujus encephalarti. The Boganiidae are known only from South Africa and Australia, and this distribution, shared with the cycad family, indicates an ancient association between these insects and these plants. [4] The beetles are strongly attracted by allomones produced in the early mornings and evenings by both male and female cones. [5] [6]

The seeds have a yellow, fleshy covering. The seeds are poisonous, containing the azoxyglycosides macrozamin and cycasin, and these are also present in the flesh, roots, stems and leaves, though in smaller concentrations. These toxins are characteristic of and exclusive to the cycads, and play an important role in deterring herbivores. [7]

Named for Édouard de Ghellinck de Walle, the 19th Century Ghent plant collector, horticulturist and amateur botanist who first cultivated it in Europe, it was formally described in 1868 by Charles Antoine Lemaire, the French taxonomist who happened to be an authority on Cactaceae.

Despite its slow growth in cultivation, increasing exploitation, especially of the dwarf form, has led to a sharp decline in numbers and extirpation in some areas, demanding urgent conservation measures. [8] [9] [10]

Plate accompanying original 1868 description of E. ghellinckii in L'Illustration horticole Encephalartos ghellinckii01a.jpg
Plate accompanying original 1868 description of E. ghellinckii in L'Illustration horticole

Related Research Articles

<i>Encephalartos</i> Genus of cycads in the family Zamiaceae

Encephalartos is a genus of cycad native to Africa. Several species of Encephalartos are commonly referred to as bread trees, bread palms or kaffir bread, since a bread-like starchy food can be prepared from the centre of the stem. The genus name is derived from the Greek words en (within), kephalē (head), and artos (bread), referring to the use of the pith to make food. They are, in evolutionary terms, some of the most primitive living gymnosperms.

<i>Macrozamia miquelii</i> Species of cycad

Macrozamia miquelii, is a species of cycad in the plant family Zamiaceae. It is endemic to Queensland and New South Wales in Eastern Australia. Located within sclerophyll forests dominated by eucalyptus trees, the cycad grows on nutrient-poor soils. It is recognised within the Zamiaceae family for its, medium height at 1 m, intermediate size of male and female cones and lighter green leaves compared to other cycads within the plant family of Zamiaceae. The seeds have an orange red sarcotesta which attracts fauna consumption, allowing a mutualistic seed dispersal for the cycad. These seeds are also edible for human consumption if prepared correctly to remove the toxins.

<i>Encephalartos horridus</i> Species of cycad

Encephalartos horridus, the Eastern Cape blue cycad, is a small, low-growing cycad up to 0.9 m (3.0 ft) high and 0.9 m (3.0 ft) wide. It is a native of Eastern Cape Province, South Africa, and found in arid shrublands, most commonly on ridges and slopes with shallow soils. The species is particularly known for its distinctly blue-gray leaves, although the degree of coloration can vary significantly. The species name horridus is Latin for 'bristly', after the plant's stiff, spiny leaflets.

<i>Encephalartos villosus</i> Species of cycad

Encephalartos villosus is a South African cycad occurring from the East London vicinity, where it is found near the coast, to the northern border of Eswatini (Swaziland) where it may grow as far as 100 km inland. The species is common throughout its range and is the most frequently cultivated in Southern Africa, largely because of its affordable price. As a result of its large geographical distribution, it is notably variable in leaf and cone shape.

<i>Encephalartos altensteinii</i> Species of cycad

Encephalartos altensteinii is a palm-like cycad in the family Zamiaceae. It is endemic to South Africa. The species name altensteinii commemorates Altenstein, a 19th-century German chancellor and patron of science. It is commonly known as the breadtree, broodboom, Eastern Cape giant cycad or uJobane (Zulu). It is listed as vulnerable due to habitat destruction, use for traditional medicine and removal by collectors.

<i>Encephalartos lehmannii</i> Species of cycad

Encephalartos lehmannii is a low-growing palm-like cycad in the family Zamiaceae. It is commonly known as the Karoo cycad and is endemic to South Africa. The species name lehmannii commemorates Prof J.G.C. Lehmann, a German botanist who studied the cycads and published a book on them in 1834. This cycad is listed as near threatened in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

<i>Encephalartos caffer</i> Species of cycad

Encephalartos caffer, the Eastern Cape dwarf cycad, is a rare cycad from the genus Encephalartos.

<i>Encephalartos lebomboensis</i> Species of cycad

Encephalartos lebomboensis is a species of cycad in the family Zamiaceae. Native to the Lebombo Mountains of South Africa, the species was first described in 1949 by the South African botanist Inez Verdoorn. It is commonly known as the Lebombo cycad, although the name is also used for Encephalartos senticosus which also occurs in the same locality.

<i>Encephalartos senticosus</i> Species of cycad

Encephalartos senticosus is a species of cycad in the family Zamiaceae native to the Lebombo Mountains of Mozambique, Eswatini (Swaziland), and the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. Prior to its description in 1996, Encephalartos senticosus had been confused with the closely related and sympatric Encephalartos lebomboensis. Both species are commonly known as the Lebombo cycad.

<i>Encephalartos whitelockii</i> Species of plant

Encephalartos whitelockii is a species of cycad that is native to Uganda.

<i>Encephalartos natalensis</i> Species of cycad

Encephalartos natalensis, the Natal cycad or giant cycad, is a species of cycad that is endemic to the Qumbu and Tabankulu areas of the northern part of the Eastern Cape, and through most of KwaZulu-Natal. The number of mature individuals of this species is declining and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being "near threatened".

<i>Encephalartos eugene-maraisii</i> Species of plant

Encephalartos eugene-maraisii is a species of cycad in the family Zamiaceae. It is endemic to South Africa, where it is limited to Limpopo. It is known as the Waterberg cycad.

<i>Encephalartos cupidus</i> Species of cycad

Encephalartos cupidus is a species of cycad that is found in the Limpopo Province, South Africa at elevations of 700 up to 1,500.

<i>Encephalartos middelburgensis</i> Species of cycad

Encephalartos middelburgensis is a species of cycad that is native to Gauteng and Mpumalanga provinces of South Africa at elevations of 1,100–1,400 m (3,600–4,600 ft).

<i>Encephalartos laevifolius</i> Species of cycad

Encephalartos laevifolius is a species of cycad that is found in the KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and Limpopo provinces of South Africa, and at Piggs Peak in Eswatini. The species is facing extinction in the wild, but is widely cultivated. As of 2012, the Encephalartos laevifolius has been listed as critically endangered by the IUCN.

Encephalartos marunguensis, the Marungu cycad, is a species of cycad in Africa.

<i>Encephalartos aemulans</i> Species of cycad plant from South Africa

Encephalartos aemulans, the Ngotshe cycad, is a species of cycad endemic to South Africa. It is listed by the IUCN as Critically Endangered and by CITES in Appendix I. Only 100-250 are believed to be left, with a decreasing population trend. Its main threat is collecting of wild specimens.

<i>Encephalartos humilis</i> Species of cycad

Encephalartos humilis is a species of cycad in the former Transvaal Province, South Africa.

<i>Encephalartos lanatus</i> Species of plant

Encephalartos lanatus is a species of cycad, a plant belonging to the family Zamiaceae growing in Mpumalanga, South Africa. Its specific epithet, lanatus, means wooly in Latin.

<i>Protea simplex</i> Species of plant

Protea simplex, the dwarf grassveld sugarbush, is a flower-bearing shrub belonging to the genus Protea. It is native to South Africa.

References

  1. ↑ Donaldson, J.S. (2010). "Encephalartos ghellinckii". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2010: e.T41915A10593685. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-3.RLTS.T41915A10593685.en . Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  2. ↑ "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
  3. ↑ "Encephalartos ghellinckii - Pacsoa". www.pacsoa.org.au. Retrieved 2017-08-01.
  4. ↑ Whitelock, L.M. (2002) The Cycads. Timber Press, Portland, Oregon
  5. ↑ Suinyuy, T. N.; Donaldson, J. S.; Johnson, S. D. (2009-10-01). "Insect pollination in the African cycad Encephalartos friderici-guilielmi Lehm". South African Journal of Botany. Advances in the Pollination Biology of South African Plants. 75 (4): 682–688. doi: 10.1016/j.sajb.2009.08.005 .
  6. ↑ "Cycads and Beetles : Recent views on pollination - Pierre Jolivet" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-10-30. Retrieved 2012-10-17.
  7. ↑ Castillo-Guevara, Citlalli; Rico-Gray, Victor (2003). "The Role of Macrozamin and Cycasin in Cycads (Cycadales) as Antiherbivore Defenses". The Journal of the Torrey Botanical Society. 130 (3): 206–217. doi:10.2307/3557555. JSTOR   3557555.
  8. ↑ "KZN Wildlife". Archived from the original on 2012-10-17. Retrieved 2019-08-08.
  9. ↑ Cycads of Africa - Douglas Goode (Struik 1989)
  10. ↑ "Pollination Drops, Pollen, and Insect Pollination of Mesozoic Gymnosperms (PDF Download Available)". ResearchGate. Retrieved 2017-08-01.
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