Venda cycad
Encephalartos hirsutus — the Venda cycad
Encephalartos hirsutus was described in 1996 from remote cliffs in the Soutpansberg of Limpopo. It is a large blue species whose young leaves are covered in fine hair — the source of the name — and whose wild population has been devastated by poaching in the years since it became known.
About Encephalartos hirsutus
Mature plants build substantial trunks and carry long, stiff, blue-grey leaves with strongly lobed leaflets. It is closer in feel to the big Limpopo blues than to the coastal greens, but larger and more openly built than most of them.
The wild population is now perilously small and heavily monitored. Every legitimate plant in trade is nursery-raised, and buyers should expect full documentation and an expert verification as a condition of purchase, not an extra.
How to identify it
- Young leaves densely hairy; the hair wears off as the flush hardens.
- Blue-grey mature leaves, long and stiff, with lobed and spined leaflets.
- Robust trunk, reaching several metres on old plants.
- Large cones with a woolly, greyish surface.
What drives the price
- Rarity and the very limited legal supply.
- Blue colour intensity and leaf length.
- Trunk development on older specimens.
- Verified identity and unbroken permit history.
Firmly a collector species with prices to match. Any inexpensive offer is a reason to slow down and examine the documents.
Permits and paperwork
Critically endangered and fully protected. Permits are mandatory for both private and nursery sellers, and we verify them before publishing a listing.
Read the cycad sale rulesGrowing it
Hot, dry and bright suits it — it is a Soutpansberg cliff plant. Sharp drainage, full sun, summer water, dry winter, and protection from prolonged wet cold.
E. hirsutus questions buyers ask
Buy E. hirsutus with the identification proven
Independent experts confirm the species, measurements and condition before a plant is marked verified, and every verified plant carries a Cycad Certificate recording its identity and each change of ownership.
Registered E. hirsutus certificates
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