Cycad cones and flushes

[Urban Rainforest]

I have a Natwood x Arewood that I just potted up into a 15gal that is looking pretty sick! It just started to flush. I will post it when it expands further.

[Billeb]

Here’s a unique Encephalartos Horridus I got from @Sr. Califas but a Kevin plant marked “Special”. 
 

I called Kevin and he said this particular plant was germinated using noticeably unique parents that possess great color and different shape structure. I’m all for rare. Pictures don’t really do it justice as the emerging frond is even more purple than it looks. Looks to be a few more emerging behind the leader as well. 
 

-dale 

[Sr. Califas]

Love that emergent color! Great stuff, way to keep that thing happy!!

[Billeb]

Enceph. Blue Arenarius flushing 7 leaves. This plant is as consistent as my green version. It always looks good too. I love the aqua color of Blue Arenarius. Super underrated. That being said, I tried True Blue and it didn’t go well. 👎🏻

(Stupid Lutescens won’t stop multiplying. It’s moving in on the Arenarius real estate 🤬)

-dale 

[Tracy]

This plant was acquired as an Encephalartos arenarius blue form hybrid.   The male cones look like horridus cones in color.  Right now it is pushing flushes on the main caudex plus two pups, one of which is a new pup.  It's largest pup was my last Encephalartos flush of the 2025  autumn season,  so it is probably building energy still. 

[Brad52]

[Tracy]

'Tis the season in the Northern Hemisphere.   Progress on a little Encephalartos arenarius and the two single lesf pups on a seedling Encephalartos horridus × woodii backcrossed with another identical hybrid. 

[Billeb]

Encephalartos Trispinosis 2-Leaf flush. Super cool how it starts yellowish / pink, then turns purple and finally blue when it gets its farina or sunscreen. 
 

-dale 

[bubba]

Any idea what this Dioon is? Any enthusiasts opinion would be greatly appreciated.

[Tracy]

4 hours ago, bubba said:

Any idea what this Dioon is? Any enthusiasts opinion would be greatly appreciated.

A full monty photo and details of the leaflets at different points along the rachis will be helpful to get an answer.   I can't think of any Dioons with a caudex that fat.  The caudex looks more like an Encephalartos.   That is why leaflet details are important. 

[Urban Rainforest]

Flushes are developing nicely. Heres my spineless Tri with a colorfull new flush.

[Urban Rainforest]

Instead of Cycas sp. silver they should have called this Cycas sp. golden because that is what color the leaves are.

[Urban Rainforest]

Pure strain Arenarius throwing a nice one.

[Urban Rainforest]

A pair of big Eugenes throwing nice flushes.

[Urban Rainforest]

Lehmannii thowing something like 25 leaves🤔I lost count lol🤣

[Urban Rainforest]

This Dwarf Horridus has been with me a long time! One of the caudexes starting to throw a flush.

[Urban Rainforest]

Im excited about the potencial of this hybrid given the parentage but they be SLOOOOOW!

[Urban Rainforest]

Ooops haha last photo is True blue Arenarius x Dwarf Horridus. True blues are fast for me so I believe the Dwarf is slowing it down!

[Urban Rainforest]

Speaking of True Blue Arenarius most of mine are throwing now and they are not slow!

[Brad52]

The first two photos go together…

[GeneAZ]

Dioon edule female I've grown 53 years from a 4 inch caudex.  Currently pushing 34 leaves.

56 inch pot with 4 feet trunk.  Fat!

[Tracy]

On 5/1/2026 at 9:35 AM, bubba said:

Any idea what this Dioon is? Any enthusiasts opinion would be greatly appreciated.

 

17 hours ago, GeneAZ said:

Dioon edule female I've grown 53 years from a 4 inch caudex.  Currently pushing 34 leaves.

56 inch pot with 4 feet trunk.  Fat!

So with time, Dioons do get some chunky trunks, at least some species.  My cousin has some large older Dioon's in her garden that I thought are mejia with a few feet of trunk but they are skinnier.  So that was what I was comparing Bubba's photo to.  I was looking at the base of my Dioon mejiae which is getting chunky after I responded to this the first time.  No trunk on it yet, but it appears it will be fat when it does get there.  Bubba, when you get back to where that Dioon is growing the id will be easier for others when you post the leaf close ups and the whole enchilada (should have posted that on Cinco de Mayo).

[happypalms]

Cerotazamia subrosephylla 

[Tracy]

My garden tends to be a little delayed on flushing compared to many in Southern California,  especially gardens set back even a little from the marine layer that often huge the coastline.  The Ceratozamia genus seems to ignore the seasons though and can initiate a flush almost anytime except the shortest days of winter.   Right now a single new leaf is emerging on my otherwise barren appearing Ceratozamia hildae.   A potted Ceratozamia latifolia female has finally focused on a flush after coning sequentially, which will finally provide a better foliage cover.

[Brad52]

I don’t know what this is, but it looks pretty today…

[Urban Rainforest]

Lots of flushes getting with it now! Here is Arenarius x Latifrons.

[Urban Rainforest]

Lati

 

[Urban Rainforest]

Im really liking the color of the flush on this pure strain Arenarius. I would call it like a seafoam green. I wish it would stay that color!

[Urban Rainforest]

Nice purple flush on this Dwarf Horridus.

[Urban Rainforest]

Horridus

[Urban Rainforest]

All 4 of my Woodii hybrids are flushing right now. This one is Fat Are x Arewood. The new flush is much more recurved than the older leaves.

[Urban Rainforest]

Natwood x Arewood

[Urban Rainforest]

Arewood x Arewood throwing a couple new leaves. 

[Urban Rainforest]

Horwood x Arewood flushing again before the last flush has hardened off!

[Urban Rainforest]

This Cleopatra x True Blue Arenarius is also flushing before the last flush has hardened off. That hybrid vigor is a real thing! 

[Urban Rainforest]

Lots of true blue Arenarius are flushing right now! These are turning into my favorite Cycads right behind Latifrons.

[Urban Rainforest]

8 hours ago, Tracy said:

My garden tends to be a little delayed on flushing compared to many in Southern California,  especially gardens set back even a little from the marine layer that often huge the coastline.  The Ceratozamia genus seems to ignore the seasons though and can initiate a flush almost anytime except the shortest days of winter.   Right now a single new leaf is emerging on my otherwise barren appearing Ceratozamia hildae.   A potted Ceratozamia latifolia female has finally focused on a flush after coning sequentially, which will finally provide a better foliage cover.

Tracy, That Ceratozamia Latifolia new flush is awesome! Very colorfull! I believe they probably flush good in the marine layer as it closely mimics the sometimes foggy montane rainforest alot of them come from. Ceratozamia is one of my favorite genus of Cycads.lookin good!

[Merlyn]

Here's a few more flushes turning my garden back from brown to green!  On the left middle an unknown "big green Encephalartos" is flushing.  It could be an Equatorialis or just natural variation of Ituriensis/Whitelockii.  Just behind it the big one is a Gratus x Laurentianus.  Common Zamia Furfuracea are flushing bronze in the middle.  In the foreground a Sclavoi x Ituriensis has 5 leaves going, and in the bottom center a Natalensis x Horridus has 5 finished leaves.  Just to the bottom right is a Horridus x Natalensis with 3 new fronds in process.  Not really visible behind the Pygmy Dates are a couple of Zamia Vasquezii and Picta also flushing.  Also not really visible is a double-coning Cycas Simplicipinna on the other side of the path from the Gratus x Laurentianus.  So this is sort of a 10-fer flush!

In the center rear bed a few more are going gangbusters!  The middle is a big Dioon Spinulosum with a pup flushing too.  Just behind is to the left is a 2-headed Cycas Revoluta flushing just one of the two heads.  Just below it is a single frond growing up on a tiny Encephalartos Umbeluziensis.  Bottom left corner is a "fasciated" Zamia Furfuracea.  The lower right cone is an unfortunate timing on a male Cycas Multipinnata that was completely defoliated.  To the right behind the Spinulosum is a solid flush on an Encephalartos Ferox.  In the background left of the Spinulosum is one of the triple Encephalartos Whitelockii/Ituriensis with a solid 8 leaf flush.  The other two in the triple are thinking about it...but not quite yet!

[Brad52]

New cardboard

[DippyD]

A few of the ladies on their mother’s day. How poetic that dyer decides to start dropping its seeds…. F2 trans wood, Latifrons, horridus, F2 natwood, dyerianus