Drakensberg cycad  (Encephalartos ghellinckii)

Classified as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List (1) and listed on Appendix I of CITES (3).

The Drakensberg cycad takes its common name from the stunning South African mountain range on which it is found. A medium-sized plant, the thick stems of the Drakensberg cycad are usually around one metre tall, but older stems may reach up to three metres in length, at which point they tend to lean over, sometimes becoming almost horizontal (2) (4). At lower elevations in the Eastern Province, specimens tend to be smaller and less robust than those higher up in the mountains (2) (5). Although the un-branching stems initially grow singularly, over time, individual plants may sucker from the base to form clumps of five or more stems (4). The spirally twisted mature leaves are bright olive-green, but new leaves are greyish and covered in wool (4) (5) (6). Male and female plants both produce up to five woolly, yellow to beige cones (5).

The distribution of the Drakensberg cycad is mainly confined to mountainous regions of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, but also extends into parts of the Eastern Cape Province (2) (5) (6).

Found in grasslands on rocky slopes and ridges, between 700 and 2,400 metres above sea level (5) (6).

Cycads are long-lived, slow growing plants that always occur as individual male or female plants (2) (6). There is no way of determining the sex of a cycad until it begins to produce its first cone (2). For a long time cycads were thought, like cone-producing conifers, to be entirely wind pollinated (7). However, studies now suggest that the vast majority, if not all cycads, are actually pollinated by insects or more specifically weevils (2) (6) (7). To attract pollinators, male and female cones produce powerful odours, usually in the early morning or evening (2). Travelling between the sexes, the weevils pollinate the plants by inadvertently transferring pollen from the male cones to the receptive ovules of the female cones (2) (8).

The seeds produced by cycads are large and have a fleshy outer coat, but are relatively short-lived and vulnerable to desiccation. The fleshy outer layer is desirable to a range of animals such as birds, rodents and bats, depending on the species of cycad and region it occupies. However, with any luck the unpalatable seed is discarded some distance away from the parent plant in a hospitable environment in which to germinate (6).

Although illegal harvesting is a significant potential threat to the Drakensberg cycad, the population is still relatively large and stable (9).

There are not known to be any specific conservation measures in place for the Drakensberg cycad, but it is listed on Appendix I of CITES, which permits trade only under exceptional circumstances (3). In addition, this species receives protection within the game reserves and wilderness areas in the Drakensberg (5).

For further information on the conservation of cycads in South Africa see:

• The Cycad Society of South Africa:
  http://www.cycadsociety.org/

• South African National Biodiversity Institute:
  http://www.sanbi.org/

• IUCN/SSC Cycad Specialist Group:
  http://www.cycadsg.org/