Encephalartos altensteinii/Bread Tree, Giant Cycad

Large Cycad with thick trunk and suckers growing out of the basal portion
View Image (Full)

Large Cycad with thick trunk and suckers growing out of the basal portion	Close-up view of fronds with spines on tips of foliage	Flowering specimen growing in a Southern California botanical garden
Cone in center of a rosette of foliage	Close-up view of a cone


Scientific Name:	Encephalartos altensteinii
Common Name:	Bread Tree, Giant Cycad
Plant Type:	Evergreen
Leaf Type:	Broadleaf
Hardiness Zone:	9, 10, 11 Determine Your Zone
Height:	5-8 feet
Spread:	3 -5 feet
Bloom time:	Winter
Flower color:	Red
Light Exposure:	Sun, Part Sun
Drainage:	Well drained, Moist
Rate of Growth:	Slow
Water Requirement:	Low
Maintenance Level:	Low
Comments:	This is reported to be one of the oldest container-grown plants in the world. It is a long-lived Cycad which can survive for hundreds of years. Reported to be quite common in tropical landscapes. Makes a superb specimen in conservatories and other glass houses where temperatures can be controlled. In early times the pith of the plant would be removed for making bread.