Cloud Mountain cycad
Encephalartos nubimontanus — the Cloud Mountain cycad
Encephalartos nubimontanus is a striking blue Limpopo species whose entire wild population was removed by poachers. It is now classified extinct in the wild, surviving only in cultivation and in a small number of institutional collections.
About Encephalartos nubimontanus
The plants carry stiff, intensely blue leaves on an upright stem — visually among the finest of the Limpopo blues, which is exactly why they were stripped from the Blouberg area within a few years of becoming well known.
Cultivated seed is produced in limited quantities by growers holding legal parent stock, so legitimate plants do exist. Every one of them should come with a permit and a propagation history, and Cycad Central will not list this species without both.
How to identify it
- Intense blue, stiff leaves held upright.
- Narrow leaflets, mostly entire or with a spine or two.
- Upright stem to about 3 m, usually solitary.
- Very close in appearance to E. eugene-maraisii and E. dolomiticus.
What drives the price
- Extreme rarity following extinction in the wild.
- Blue intensity, the species' defining quality.
- Documented cultivated origin and permit history.
- Expert verification with a stated confidence score.
At the top of the South African market. Expect long waits, high prices and rigorous paperwork — and treat any cheap offer as a red flag worth reporting.
Permits and paperwork
Extinct in the wild and fully protected. Only documented cultivated plants with valid permits can be listed, and questionable offers are referred to the conservation authorities.
Read the cycad sale rulesGrowing it
Full sun, very sharp drainage, dry winters. It is a hot dry-country plant and rots quickly in cold wet soil. Slow, but not difficult once sited correctly.
E. nubimontanus questions buyers ask
Buy E. nubimontanus 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.
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