Encephalartos relictus

Encephalartos relictus
Conservation status
Extinct in the Wild  (IUCN 3.1) [1]
CITES Appendix I (CITES) [2]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Gymnospermae
Division:	Cycadophyta
Class:	Cycadopsida
Order:	Cycadales
Family:	Zamiaceae
Genus:	Encephalartos
Species:	E. relictus
Binomial name
Encephalartos relictus P.J.H.Hurter

Encephalartos relictus, also known as the Parlota cycad, is a species of cycad in Eswatini. The cycad is evolutionarily extinct; the cycad has only male plants, meaning that they cannot produce seeds. However, J. J. P. du Preez was able to propagate some offshoots of the specimens. ^[3]

Description

It is a cycad with an arborescent habit, with a stem up to 2.5 m tall and 40–45 cm in diameter, with secondary stems originating from basal suckers. The leaves, pinnate, of a bluish-green color, are 1–2 m long, supported by a petiole about 15 cm long, and composed of numerous pairs of lanceolate, coriaceous leaflets, arranged on the rachis with an angle of about 40°, long up to 20–25 cm, with entire margin and a pungent. It is a dioecious species, of which, however, only male specimens are known which have from 1 to 3 sub-conical cones, about 20–24 cm long and 12–15 cm broad, of greenish-yellow sarcotesta. ^[4]

References

1. Bösenberg, J.D. (2023) [errata version of 2022 assessment]. "Encephalartos relictus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2022 e.T41764A243432097. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2022-1.RLTS.T41764A243432097.en . Retrieved 1 July 2024.
2. "Appendices". CITES. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
3. "Parlota Cycad". Africa Cycads. Retrieved 2024-04-05.
4. "Encephalartos relictus: a new species from Southern Africa" (PDF). Cycad. Retrieved 2024-01-03.