| Encephalartos kisambo | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Gymnospermae |
| Division: | Cycadophyta |
| Class: | Cycadopsida |
| Order: | Cycadales |
| Family: | Zamiaceae |
| Genus: | Encephalartos |
| Species: | E. kisambo |
| Binomial name | |
| Encephalartos kisambo Faden &Beentje | |
| Synonyms | |
Encephalartos kangaPócs & Q.Luke | |
Encephalartos kisambo is aspecies ofcycad in the familyZamiaceae.[3] It is known as theVoi cycad.[1]
This species is distributed in thecloud forests of the steep mountain hills at the border of southern Kenya and northern Tanzania. Most grow in misty forest habitat, and some grow on drier rock cliffsides. Some subpopulations are threatened by habitat loss tocharcoal production and agriculture, and the species is threatened by overcollection.[1]
Encephalartos kisambo is anarborescent species, withpachycaulous barrel-shaped trunks, with a stem 1.2-2 m high, erect or sometimes decumbent, 45-52 cm in diameter.[4]
The pinnate dark greendioecious leaves, arranged like a crown at the apex of the stem, are 240–360 cm long, silvery-green to bluish-green in color, with a 2.5–5 cm long petiole. They are formed by 89-96 pairs of oblong-lanceolate leaflets, opposite, 24–37 cm long and 29–37 mm broad, of leathery consistency, with spiny margin, inserted on the rachis with an angle of 45°.
It is a dioecious species; the male specimens usually have 1 to 5 cones, cylinder-conical, creamy-yellow in color, 49–64 cm long and 10–12.5 cm in diameter; the female ones have from 1 to 5 cones, ovoid, 42–60 cm long, 16–20 cm in diameter, of an orange-yellow color.
The seeds are ovoid, 30–39 mm long, covered with an orange-red flesh.
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It is native toKenya andTanzania. On Mount Kanga, a hill of theNguru Mountains in theMvomero district,Morogoro, Tanzania. They are situated on the southern ridge and south eastern slopes of Mt. Kanga at an altitude between 1,000m and 1,300m.[5][6]
Media related toEncephalartos kisambo at Wikimedia Commons
Data related toEncephalartos kisambo at Wikispecies
