Cycad cones and flushes

[Manalto]

This is my favorite thread. So many beauties! Here’s one that needs no introduction:

 

[DippyD]

Lots of activity going on in the gardens. 

[DippyD]

[bubba]

[bubba]

[Tracy]

My youngest and smallest Encephalartos arenarius is the first one to flush this year.

[bubba]

[bubba]

[Dan64]

Stangeria eriopus with a new frond coming 

[happypalms]

A nice lepidozamia hopei flush with a beautiful plant in cone! A lovely pair sitting together! 

[DippyD]

[JohnAndSancho]

I don't remember what @Scott W said this was hybridized with but I swear it's half sago half pothos. 

[Scott W]

13 hours ago, JohnAndSancho said:

I don't remember what @Scott W said this was hybridized with but I swear it's half sago half pothos. 

The really tall skinny one?  If so that should be Revoluta x multifrondis, definitely showing multifrondis traits!

[Scott W]

My diannanensis decided to throw a double cone!!! 😯. Need to find a female so I can produce pure species on this, as the ones at @edbrown_III house are phenomenal specimens!

Multifrondis also coning...looks like more hybrids this year!  😁

[GeneAZ]

On 3/7/2026 at 11:52 AM, GeneAZ said:

First of the season for me.  Latifrons longer leaf individual. 

Progress:

[JohnAndSancho]

11 hours ago, Scott W said:

The really tall skinny one?  If so that should be Revoluta x multifrondis, definitely showing multifrondis traits!

Yeah dude, it's finally starting to push multiple fronds at a time but they're all crazy and viney. But I absolutely love it, I love weird bendy stuff that does whatever it wants to. And this definitely fits that mold. Maybe I'll try to get it something to climb the next time I'm in the lumber store. 

[Tracy]

On 3/21/2026 at 2:51 PM, Tracy said:

A couple of weeks later and it is really starting to look like a flush as opposed to a few little pale green nubs.  

The next step in this flush.  It clearly has a tilt toward the southwest sky, which is where it gets the fullest sun exposure. 

[Urban Rainforest]

I have lots of new flushes going right now! With the summer like weather we have been having here in So Cal the plants think its like May or June. Here are just a few of the plants I have flushing right now. This Horridus is a very basic leaf form but one of my bluest. Pics were taken after a morning rain shower so looked a little less blue than normal.

[Urban Rainforest]

Here is a pic of one of my E. Cleopatras (Arenarius x Horridus.) Each flush gets a little bluer than the last.

[Urban Rainforest]

3 years ago I bought 4 differant one leaf Woodii hybrids. Fast forward and I potted 2 of them up into 15 gal. Today. Both had 3” caudexes! These things are speedsters! Here is (Fat Arenarius x Arenarius Woodii) starting to flush.

[Urban Rainforest]

And in its new 15 gal. Home.

[Urban Rainforest]

Cycas Sp. Silver. At least that is what it was given to me as many years ago. Maybe it has a real name now🤔 Anyhows this Cycad is deciduous dropping its old leaves right as its getting its new ones. Also when I potted it up the tubers were orange like carrots or yams. I will post another pic once the flush fully expands.

[Dan64]

1 hour ago, Urban Rainforest said:

Cycas Sp. Silver. At least that is what it was given to me as many years ago. Maybe it has a real name now🤔 Anyhows this Cycad is deciduous dropping its old leaves right as its getting its new ones. Also when I potted it up the tubers were orange like carrots or yams. I will post another pic once the flush fully expands.

It should be Cycas siamensis, silver form 

[Urban Rainforest]

1 hour ago, Dan64 said:

It should be Cycas siamensis, silver form 

Thanks for the ID Dan! I figured the botanist should have it figured out by now. I have had this plant well over 20 years!

[amh]

On 4/6/2026 at 6:52 PM, JohnAndSancho said:

I don't remember what @Scott W said this was hybridized with but I swear it's half sago half pothos. 

It's  a great hybrid, but the plant kneads moar lite.

[JohnAndSancho]

16 hours ago, amh said:

It's  a great hybrid, but the plant kneads moar lite.

Now that I'm moving the bananas outside to harden off for planting, I can put it under the big boy lights. This is another on my list of "stuff I'm afraid to plant." 

[N8ALLRIGHT]

11 hours ago, JohnAndSancho said:

Now that I'm moving the bananas outside to harden off for planting, I can put it under the big boy lights. This is another on my list of "stuff I'm afraid to plant." 

Plant it

[Tracy]

The flushing pup on this Encephalartos trispinosis almost gets lost among the leaves of the main caudex. 

[JohnAndSancho]

23 hours ago, N8ALLRIGHT said:

Plant it

Lol I guess if I need to cover it, the way it's growing is I could just coil it up like a hose. 

[realarch]

Zamia pseudoparasitica has grown well over the last few years. 

Tim

[Urban Rainforest]

20 hours ago, Tracy said:

The flushing pup on this Encephalartos trispinosis almost gets lost among the leaves of the main caudex. 

Tracy, that looks like the spineless form🤔I have one just like it that just started to flush as well. I will post a pick when the flush gets a little bigger.

Steve

[Tracy]

4 hours ago, Urban Rainforest said:

Tracy, that looks like the spineless form🤔I have one just like it that just started to flush as well. I will post a pick when the flush gets a little bigger.

Steve

Not quite spineless but a very narrow leaflet form of Encephalartos trispinosis on this boy.

[Tracy]

The Encephalartos laurentianus flush is progressing better for this time of year than normal.   The mild weather has allowed the flush to emerge without wind and rain damage.   Sometimes the portion of the leaves above the adjacent 6' block wall succumb to wind shear, but not yet at least on this flush. 

[Billeb]

Bunch of stuff coming alive in the garden. I’ll post quite a few times here in the coming weeks/months. Love this time of year. 
 

Admittedly I don’t know the cross but I believe it’s Longifolius x Princeps. Could be Lehmannii x Princeps as it’s very blue. Who knows….its happy tho. Last year was a 2 Leafer, this year it’s 4. 
 

-dale 
 

[Tracy]

On 3/26/2026 at 3:08 PM, GeneAZ said:

Those get massive!!

The Encephalartos ituriensis flush is progressing nicely and yes it will be big.

[GeneAZ]

I like it better than all the other giant green ones, except woodii.  Those trunks can get 2 feet or more wide and might crack that fence!  Massive.

[Tracy]

2 hours ago, GeneAZ said:

I like it better than all the other giant green ones, except woodii.  Those trunks can get 2 feet or more wide and might crack that fence!  Massive.

When I planted the two (another a few plants down the wall), I realized that it could be a temporary planting due to the ultimate size.  I'm just enjoying them while I can.  I still have a few inches between the footing of the wall and the edge of the plant, so still some room before they cause a problem.

Speaking of big green cycads, my wife actually likes the Encephalartos laurentianus on the other side of the wall best.  She isn't a fan of getting poked by my cycads, so that says a great deal.

One of my favorite greens is starting to flush now.  It will never be as giant as the Encephalartos ituriensis, but with time, it can get big.

[Urban Rainforest]

I have lots of Cycads flushing right now! Like Dale said this is an exciting time of year. Here is Hor Wood x Are Wood(aka bride of frankenstein) I can definately see the Horridus starting to come through.

[Urban Rainforest]

These 2 Cycads basically never stop flushing and flushed right through the winter. Encephalartos Cleopatra x True blue Arenarius.

[Billeb]

Here’s my Cycas Panz x Debo coming alive. 
 

-dale