Looking like a pineapple E. horridus x lehmannii

[xpeditions]

First flush from a newly transplanted hybrid E. horridus x lehmannii. Looking like a pineapple.... very curious to see if this form is maintained given significantly increased sun exposure in the new location. 

[Fusca]

Love the color of your plant!  And I also like the species name "horridus".  Makes it sound like you need to beware of spines or in this case sharp prickly foliage!  The horror, the horror!  

[xpeditions]

Thanks Fusca, this plant is incredibly chalky / grey, perfect defense against the southern california sun. The leaves definitely will leave a mark... every time I trim leaves I leave with at least one battle wound haha

[Tracy]

On 8/22/2021 at 1:41 PM, xpeditions said:

First flush from a newly transplanted hybrid E. horridus x lehmannii. Looking like a pineapple.... very curious to see if this form is maintained given significantly increased sun exposure in the new location. 

It looks like its leaning toward the horridus versus lehmannii side.  I have an Encephalartos horridus "Steytlerville" form, which looks a lot like a trispinosis (see Loran Whitelock's book The Cycads for more information).  I was told that it was possi ble that this form is a natural cross of horridus and lehmannii that stabilized with true horridus cones.  On the appearance it has longer leaves, which resemble lehmannii that remain straight with heavy curl right at the ends.  My E horridus x woodii was a cross of the Steytlerville form and also exhibits this characteristic.  Your cross appears to start that curve much further down the leaf and holds it throughout.  Very nice specimen and as mentioned great color.  I would expect that it will hold that structure other than possibly getting fuller as it grows.  I wouldn't expect the leaves to stretch in the sun and get longer and more upright like lehmannii if it was in a less sunny position before you transplanted it to this sunny position. 

[xpeditions]

Tracy, agreed that this cross looks very different than the steytlerville form.

Here is a not so recent pic of of the smaller steytlerville I have growing, which shows much more lehmannii characteristics in my opinion. I'm thinking this will carry through into maturity, but I haven't seen many photos of older plants.

[Tracy]

15 hours ago, xpeditions said:

agreed that this cross looks very different than the steytlerville form.

Here is a not so recent pic of of the smaller steytlerville I have growing, which shows much more lehmannii characteristics in my opinion. I'm thinking this will carry through into maturity, but I haven't seen many photos of older plants.

Not much older, but this is my "Steytlerville" form.  I had a discussion with George Sparkman at one point about the lehmannii x horridus cross or horridus x lehmannii which he had tried a few times.  His comment was that they never quite looked like a "Steytlerville", they had their own personalities.  As previously mentioned, your cross has great form.