Cycadelic Forum Created

The idea of creating a forum has been with me for some time now. It is the best known way to interact with like-minded people online - in a structured manner. Ok, so I went ahead and did it. To share thoughts with us on the forum, join HERE - it's quick and easy!! My main mission on the forum is to provide an index of all known cycad species with all the info you could possibly need for each one.

Here follows a sample of the type of structured info you can obtain on the forum. The example I chose to start with, due to its interesting story, is the well-known E. Transvenosus - the Modjadji Cycad - protected by the mystical Rain Queen.

E. Transvenosus

by Louis on Sun Nov 14, 2010 11:16 am

Scientific Name: Encephalartos Transvenosus
Common Name: Modjadji Cycad
Origin: Letaba Disctrict, Limpopo Province, South Africa

Modjadji Cycad Forest : Largest concentration of a single cycad
species in the world.


Climate: The climate of the Letaba District is subtropical, the soil
particularly fertile and the rainfalls are high.

Appearance: Growing up to 12 meters tall. The leaves are
1.5-2.5 m long, pinnate, with numerous leaflets, 

each leaflet 16-25 cm long and 3-4 cm broad, with a spine tip and
2-3 small marginal teeth. The seed cones
are 50-80 cm long and 20-30 cm diameter, containing numerous
poisonous seeds surrounded by edible flesh.
Produces Cones/Seed from December to February.

Growing conditions: 
- Well-drained soil
- Occurs naturally in frost-free conditions 
- Requires regular watering, especially during dry seasons 
- Full Sun / Light Shade
- Close to walls or similar protection from strong winds - due to
height.
- Large specimens transplants easily, but pruning of leaves are
recommended.

Conservation & Classification:

They occur in the Modjadji forest, a unique natural forest which can
be viewed in its prehistoric state
thanks to its strict protection by succeeding generations of Modjadji
('rain queens'), the hereditary rulers
in the area. 


E. Transvenosus in the Modjadji Cycad Reserve in Tzaneen


E. Transvenosus in the Modjadji Cycad Reserve in Tzaneen


Sometimes referred to as trees, due to their height, some
are recorded to be in excess of 13 meters tall.


Multiple-branched specimen in the Modjadji Cycad Reserve.


E. Transvenosus new flush

Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens

So, in my recent effort to "buff up" my figure a little bit, I am now chronically prescribed to a dose of USN creatine & muscle fuel on a daily basis. As a basic requirement one is expected to conduct some "intense exercise" once a day after consuming these supplemental delicacies. 


Being a Saturday I was in no mood to sweat my morning away in the gym, so I decided to gather the family and head for the botanical gardens. It's always a tiresome journey over rocks and up the hills so I concluded that it would suffice as my contribution towards this desired buffness for the day. 


I'm glad I made this decision because what I saw was riddled with amazement. I ended up going "offroad" with my tekkies & my Canon digital to get a closer look at some of the beautiful cycads, and I must say, they are amazing!!! I lost count but there were well over 100 cones in total on that beautiful collection. Even the E. Latifrons plants bore some beautiful cones. I will definitely be contacting the Kirstenbosch seedroom this week to find out if any of those will be available to poor, desperate collectors such as myself. Sad, aren't I? *lol*
Once the majesty of cycads get a hold of you, it's hard to cut loose again.


Here are some inspiration for those of you who haven't considered growing cycads, and some enjoyment for those who are gripped by its magnetic beauty.

After seeing all of these beauties I couldn't help but make a turn at the Garden Center, to spice up my collection a bit. Last time I went there wasn't really much to choose from, but this time around they had a bit more to offer. My collection is coming along nicely now :) Around June 2011 I will hopefully be moving into the new house, then I can start planting all these babies into open soil.

Here they are...

Encephalartos Frederici-Guilielmi

Encephalartos Gratus

Encephalartos Horridus 1

Encephalartos Horridus 2 

Encephalartos Natalensis

Encephalartos Trispinosus

I can imagine that it's quite hard to experience the differences and unique attributes of these plants on photos, but over time I will delve into each specie individually, with close-ups of the different parts of my plants describing all the elements that make them what they are.

I hope you enjoyed these photos, even though this blog is not meant to be a photo album, it was just hard to resist! Come back soon for the next article, where I will try to explain in my own terms, the different stages of cycad growth, from pollen to cones. Until we meet again,

Cycadboy!

Introduction

Greetings friends.


Welcome to my new blog, dedicated to share my experiences as a cycad collector. I am an absolute amateur, but I'm hoping to document my findings as I gain more and more experience, and hopefully some day it will become evident that I have been paying attention. Before getting into too much detail, let's get straight to the good stuff! 


My photos are a bit mixed up, so I will start with a collection of photos taken on the 23rd of January, 2010. These are some of my plants. I don't have that many yet (compared to some of the extensive collections I've seen), but over time I am hoping to purchase a new house with a lovely garden to develop into a tranquil cycad paradise! (hey, it's not a crime to dream!! *lol*)


So without further delay, here they are:


This was the very first cycad i bought, at a nursery in Pretoria. It is a Cycas Revoluta, also known as a Sago Palm. I paid R900 for it in 2005. You will notice some smaller leaves (suckers) sticking out at the bottom. Those are like "babies" that develop out of the parent plant. If left for a very long time (100's of years) then these will grow into "branches". Many cycad hobbyists remove these suckers, as they can become individually established plants :) I will discuss each type (specie) of my cycads intensively at a later stage in this blog. I will also explain various terminologies, eg. germination, cone production, suckers, etc. This plant is approximately 18cm in size. The size of a cycad is determined by the diameter of the trunk in length or width, whichever is greatest. The length of the leaves have nothing to do with it.

The following plant is "guessed" to be a cross between an Encephalartos Altensteinii and an Encephalartos Arenarius. This happens when pollen is taken from the male cone of one species and used to pollenate a female cone of another species. The size of this plant is approximately 7cm.

The following plant is known as Encephalartos Humilis. This one is approximately 18cm in size.

Below is an Encephalartos Lebomboensis seedling. Cycads in their younger years (from the first leaf until the trunk can be measured) are known as seedlings.

Another E. Lebomboensis, more or less 5cm in size.

Another 2 very small E. Lebomboensis seedlings. 

Another E. Lebomboensis. This one is approximately 12cm in size. Most cycads are considered to be "adult"  plants once they reach a size of 15cm. 

Another E.Lebomboensis, about 3cm. (I think I have too many of these!) *lol*

E. Natalensis bought from the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens' nursery in 2007. I've had this plant for 3 years and it has never flushed a new set of leaves since I've had it. I decided to cut off all of its leaves on Saturday. I'm sure by this time it has built up enough energy to push out the new flush. I gave it a good dose of "Seagrow" and some "Rapid Raiser". New pics of this one will be posted as soon as it springs back to life.

This is my current pride and joy, also known as E. Nubimontanus. It's currently listed as "Extinct" in the IUCN red list, which means that it doesn't occur in its natural habitat anymore, only in private collections. This one is about 5cm in size and it looks to me like it might be surrounded by about 5 very very small suckers. I have also recently "treated" this plant with some "Seagrow", so I'm really hoping to see a new flush soon. His/her sibling flushed in December of 2009, so he/she is way overdue!! I can't wait for the day!!

Below is a plant called E. Villosus. As previously mentioned, I will still elaborate on the various names, localities, descriptions and forms of all these different species. There are really volumes and volumes of information available on cycads, but there is no better way to learn than to get personally involved. I will also still get into all the various reasons why it's a good idea to start growing cycads, if you haven't done so already! ;o)

I hope you enjoyed these pictures! Remember that these were taken back in January this year, so a lot has happened since then. I donated the small E. Lebomboensis seedlings to friends at work, in an effort to initiate a love towards these beautiful plants. I still have all the others, but some are located at my parents' house in Pretoria, some at my dad-in-law's place in Jo'burg - and then some here at my place in Cape Town. I'm currently renting a little townhouse so the plants are being grown in pots. I've also acquired a few more since then - and I've also started growing cycads from seeds. Tune in soon for a lot more interesting facts and info on the plants in my collection, see some photos of some beautiful plants in nature and friends' gardens, and find out why I would make the effort of started a new blog for this cause!

Until we meet again,

Cycadboy!