Current Favorite Cycad?

[Fusca]

This Cycas revoluta is my favorite not because of its rarity (obviously) but because I grew it from seed 21 years ago!  I recently moved it from San Antonio to Rio Hondo.  The only other cycad I have is an E. lehmannii seedling.  I'm sure it'll be my favorite when it gets bigger!  

[DippyD]

10 hours ago, Tracy said:

Yours is a bit ahead of mine.  When I have seen other specimens of this species cone, the males have several cones.  I'm still having trouble without seeing a closeup of the "scales" or whatever they are called on the outside to try and tell if these are male or female.  Shape will be the other big indicator as they continue to push... fat = female, elongated = male, which I'm sure you already know.  At least at this point, I don't see yours as elongated but they can change.  I guessed wrong at this stage the first time my E horridus x woodii was pushing it's first cone, and thought she was a he.  That has taught me to be patient rather than to go on my initial impression.

Right now the only male Encephalartos cone I have starting to push is on an E trispinosis, that is unless the one below turns out to be male.

I think mine will turn out to be a she. As you said hard to tell but yours is looking more male at this point. The pundicles sometimes do give you a false identity when still not fully emerged! I’ll get some photos of another female i have coning along with a male. 

[Manalto]

9 hours ago, Fusca said:

This Cycas revoluta is my favorite not because of its rarity (obviously) but because I grew it from seed 21 years ago!  I recently moved it from San Antonio to Rio Hondo.  The only other cycad I have is an E. lehmannii seedling.  I'm sure it'll be my favorite when it gets bigger!  

I can't think of anything in gardening more gratifying than having a handsome specimen that you grew from seed to enjoy.  Well done. 

I've been struggling for years, without success, to find a source for Cycas revoluta. Your intrepid quest has paid off beautifully.

Edited June 23, 2022 by Manalto

[Tracy]

11 hours ago, Manalto said:

I can't think of anything in gardening more gratifying than having a handsome specimen that you grew from seed to enjoy. 

While I can't say that I have grown any of my cycads from seeds, many were acquired as seedlings.  Some of my current cycads back when they were seedlings back in 2011.  Even the ones in the 15 gallon pots in the first photo were seedlings when I originally bought them.  So seeing some of them coning now has to be pretty darn close to starting them from seed.

The last two are the Encephalartos inopinus flushing a single leaf in spring of 2012 and now the main caudex flushing a decade later.

[Tracy]

Another plant I got as a 1 or 2 leaf seedling that is now starting to get established is this Encephalartos middelburgensis.  Photos are just a few days over 8 years apart.  Back in June of 2014 in the first photo, still in the band and flushing.  The second photo it has a flush of 5 new leaves on the main caudex, and it has a pair of pups that push 1-2 leaves now.  Eventually I will have to move the pot adjacent to it, and fortunately the Dypsis adjacent is growing up and will soon be out of the way.

[DippyD]

Update. She’s having twins 

[Tracy]

To fully appreciate what is going on right now with this cycad, I had to get shots from 3 sides.  I removed some of the lower leaves from older flushes just so that it would have room for all the other flushes pushing.  I couldn't get a photo from the 4th side, which has another lump on the main caudex that is a growth point.  This one has it all, pups galore and 3 growth points on the main caudex.  Seven concurrent flushes on this plant.

[Tracy]

On 6/23/2022 at 1:59 PM, Tracy said:

The size of the new leaves on this Encephalartos inopinus as it matures are really getting big.  It's hard not to rate this as a favorite when it reaches this stage of a flush.

[Jubaea_James760]

@Tracy,  Wow! Absolutely beautiful! I'd have to say Inopinus is one of my favorites in your collection too lol! 

Do you have Ngoyanus? I have a small one but would like to see how it looks when bigger.

[Tracy]

10 hours ago, Jubaea_James760 said:

Do you have Ngoyanus?

Unfortunately no, I don't have any E nogoyanus.

[Tracy]

On 6/22/2022 at 9:28 PM, DippyD said:

I think mine will turn out to be a she. As you said hard to tell but yours is looking more male at this point. The pundicles sometimes do give you a false identity when still not fully emerged! I’ll get some photos of another female i have coning along with a male. 

Two of a kind and trying to push a mini flush at the same time.  Both look more ovoid and less spindle shaped.  Sporophylls are reduced in size near the apex of the cones. 

[DippyD]

1 hour ago, Tracy said:

Two of a kind and trying to push a mini flush at the same time.  Both look more ovoid and less spindle shaped.  Sporophylls are reduced in size near the apex of the cones. 

Looking to be male twins! Here’s an update on the one… 

[Palm Tree Jim]

7 hours ago, Tracy said:

Two of a kind and trying to push a mini flush at the same time.  Both look more ovoid and less spindle shaped.  Sporophylls are reduced in size near the apex of the cones. 

Very nice. 

[Tracy]

11 hours ago, DippyD said:

Looking to be male twins! Here’s an update on the one… 

I just finished cleaning seeds from this Encephalartos horridus and look what is coming up behind the last cone.   It has always pushed single cones in the past, so I was a bit surprised to see two with no flush between the last cone and the new ones.

[DippyD]

11 hours ago, Tracy said:

I just finished cleaning seeds from this Encephalartos horridus and look what is coming up behind the last cone.   It has always pushed single cones in the past, so I was a bit surprised to see two with no flush between the last cone and the new ones.

I had a arenarius do this for 3 straight years… juice it with some goods! 

[dn_agung]

Hello..help me please about this cycad ID. Its look like E. Lehmanii hybrid?

[Merlyn]

8 hours ago, dn_agung said:

Hello..help me please about this cycad ID. Its look like E. Lehmanii hybrid?

Yeah, I would guess Lehmanii x Trispinosus...or something similar.  I have an Aemulans x Lehmanii and an Altensteinii x Lehmannii that both look about 90% Lehmannii.  I wish mine were silvery like yours, but both are solid green due to the choice of hybrid (50% big green types) and our torrential afternoon thunderstorms.

[Tracy]

10 hours ago, dn_agung said:

Hello..help me please about this cycad ID. Its look like E. Lehmanii hybrid?

An Encephalartos lehmannii would typically have straight leaves but the leaflets and collars show a predominance of lehmannii.   Agree with Merlyn, almost certainly a trispinosis hybrid with the lehmannii.   Some forms of Encephalartos trispinosis can have very few barbs on the leaflets like this plant but the collars would be more yellow rather than orange tinted.

[Tracy]

15 hours ago, dn_agung said:

Hello..help me please about this cycad ID. Its look like E. Lehmanii hybrid?

Welcome to the forum dn_agung.

As a follow up to my prior post, I have added a few photos.  First two are a fine leafed form of Encephalartos trispinosis which shows similar leaf form with some of the lower leaflets having no spines at all on either the upper or lower margins.  Second shot with the cone is the same plant, showing the absence of color on the collars of the leaf bases.  Third photo is an Encephalartos lehmanii showing how leaves are much straighter with only some curvature near the tips.  Collars on the E lehmannii show the orange tint similar to yours.  While I have seen lehmannii which don't have the distinctive orange on the collars, when it is present on a plant, I normally associate it with some lehmannii genetics in it's background.  These visuals should assist in clarifying my reasoning in the prior post about your plant.  Nice specimen you have and it's holding color very well given that I expect you are in a high rainfall part of the world.... at least seasonally I assume.

[Tracy]

It was a tie today.  I couldn't make up my mind which of these two were my favorite.  Which of these two would you rate higher?

[Jubaea_James760]

Im horrible with ID's still but I love the leaves on the 1st one, your Latifrons I believe? Overall look & size of the 2nd one is killer!  & I'd give a slight edge too. So Encephalartos #2 for me. Is that your Horridus x Natalensis?

[Tracy]

8 hours ago, Jubaea_James760 said:

Im horrible with ID's still but I love the leaves on the 1st one, your Latifrons I believe? Overall look & size of the 2nd one is killer!  & I'd give a slight edge too. So Encephalartos #2 for me. Is that your Horridus x Natalensis?

Affirmative id's on both.

[The Gerg]

On 7/11/2022 at 5:01 PM, Tracy said:

It was a tie today.  I couldn't make up my mind which of these two were my favorite.  Which of these two would you rate higher?

Well Tracy, for me I think it would be the latifrons. Both are very nice (understatement).

I have a Nat. x horridus also and I can see a resemblance. Although mine is quite a bit smaller. Actually I have another that was also sold to me as a Nat. x horridus and it looks different from my other one (and yours). It is more green and leaves arch out more horizontally and looks sort of spider like. Sorry, no pics of either at the moment.

[Jubaea_James760]

Encephalartos Trispinosus is my current favorite.  Pictures were from last year ( most current photo I  have with me)  & it looks like it's probably going to flush soon so I'll have to add a picture to the flush thread when it does.

[Tracy]

On 7/12/2022 at 10:56 PM, Jubaea_James760 said:

o Encephalartos #2 for me. Is that your Horridus x Natalensis?

 

11 hours ago, The Gerg said:

I have a Nat. x horridus also and I can see a resemblance. Although mine is quite a bit smaller. Actually I have another that was also sold to me as a Nat. x horridus and it looks different from my other one (and yours). It is more green and leaves arch out more horizontally and looks sort of spider like. Sorry, no pics of either at the moment.

My apologies, I mis-read the initial inquiry from James.... plenty of excuses for missing it, but that was the Encephalartos horridus x woodii.  Greg there is a reason your E natalensis x horridus looks different.  I do have a couple of E natalensis x horridus as well.  The E horridus woodii has longer leaves, more recurved on the ends, more shiny green color to leaflets and much wider leaflets.  My E horridus x woodii is also a female, whereas both my E natalensis x horridus are males.  Similar view of that flush still pushing on the E horridus x woodii and then the backside (pup) view and a leaf detail shot.  This is a very special plant to me that I moved from my Carlsbad garden when Leucadia became my home residence.  I left some other cool Encephalartos in that garden, but this one was never going to remain in the rental.

[Tracy]

11 hours ago, The Gerg said:

I have another that was also sold to me as a Nat. x horridus and it looks different from my other one (and yours). It is more green and leaves arch out more horizontally and looks sort of spider like.

Leaves often arch out more as the plant is making room for the flush, particularly when they have skipped a flush.  I would expect your E natalensis x horridus to look more like these two on either side of my Aloidendron hercules.  The one on the left of the Puya and A hercules just flushed and is following up with a cone or two.  The one on the right skipped the flush and is pushing a pair of cones right now (first photo).  Leaf detail from the most recent flush also for comparison. Color on this hybrid tends more blue further inland, but stays more green in milder coastal light it seems.  I recall siblings to this batch as they grew in pots at George Sparkman's in Fallbrook developing more color than mine did on the coast.  I don't think it was that I originally picked anything less blue than others in the batch, it really does seem to be a cultural issue in this case.  That said, the ones in Fallbrook didn't develop the same blue that an E trispinosis, princeps, horridus or lehmannii would develop and those are all very blue even here on the coast.

[DippyD]

Few more starting to do their thing… 

[edbrown_III]

Dioon mejaie -- really big flush this year

[GeneAZ]

18 hours ago, DippyD said:

Few more starting to do their thing… 

Man, that Dioon tomasellii is quite impressive!  Personal fave.

I didn't realize you had that much land!

[Tracy]

On 7/15/2022 at 9:56 PM, DippyD said:

My sense is that both of these shots are of the same plant.  I was trying to identify it and am guessing it is a longifolius x horridus?  There are other possibilities obviously, but it is pretty spectacular so had to ask.  Everything looks great.... as Gene mentioned it looks like you have plenty of space on the property so can really highlight all of your plants instead of crowding them into close proximity as often seen in a smaller garden (my challenge).

[DippyD]

6 hours ago, Tracy said:

My sense is that both of these shots are of the same plant.  I was trying to identify it and am guessing it is a longifolius x horridus?  There are other possibilities obviously, but it is pretty spectacular so had to ask.  Everything looks great.... as Gene mentioned it looks like you have plenty of space on the property so can really highlight all of your plants instead of crowding them into close proximity as often seen in a smaller garden (my challenge).

To throw a wrench in your guess… it cones trispinosus… 

[DippyD]

Little sunshine 

[Tracy]

12 minutes ago, DippyD said:

To throw a wrench in your guess… it cones trispinosus… 

That was another guess that there was some trispinosis in its blood or it is a form of trispinosis that I haven't seen before.  The variation in E trispinosis is pretty wide.  Thanks for sharing that.

 

15 minutes ago, DippyD said:

Little sunshine 

Great "catch".  That seems to be a popular spot in my garden as well.  I saw one this morning doing this but didn't have a phone or camera to catch it.

[James Norcal]

Here’s my favorite nubi in the garden right now. 
 

[Tracy]

On 7/7/2022 at 11:18 PM, DippyD said:

Looking to be male twins! Here’s an update on the one… 

The Encephalartos eugene-maraisii I posted earlier which was pushing it's first cones actually has turned out to be female.  Did you end up pollinating yours?

[DippyD]

19 hours ago, Tracy said:

The Encephalartos eugene-maraisii I posted earlier which was pushing it's first cones actually has turned out to be female.  Did you end up pollinating yours?

She’s just about to crack open on the first set which i will hit probably starting tomorrow. This one’s a little behind…

[Tracy]

The flush on this one is still a little soft but it's showing nice structure and looks like the leaves are beginning to approach their adult lengths unlike earlier flushes that were a bit shorter. 

[DippyD]

And she’s ready!…. 

[DippyD]

D. Tomasellii 

[GeneAZ]

Among the top 3 Dioons in my opinion!