Encephalartos transvenosus
Modjadji's palm, Modjadji's cycad; tshifhanga, mutAontolo tshitontolo (Palmer & Pitman 1972).
No data as of 2026-01-14.
Tree, "up to nearly 40 feet (about 12 m) tall, with a thick trunk deeply scored in the typical netted pattern of the cycads, and with a crown of fairly straight, shiny green, spiny leaves up to 8 feet (2.4 m) long. The leaflets are broad, the middle ones up to about l 1/3 inches (roughly 3.3 cm) in width, often slightly curved, and toothed on both margins. Those at the base are reduced to prickles.
"Two to 4 cones are borne together and these are large, and the female, the biggest - roughly 31 inches (79 cm) in length - are massive, weighing up to 75 lbs. (34 kg) and are very handsome in the heart of the big green leaves. The seeds are a brilliant orange-red, and the thin fully ripe flesh surrounding the kernels is relished by the children of the village" (Palmer & Pitman 1972).
South Africa. "Modjadji's palm ... grows in the mountains of the northern Transvaal, and particularly on two hills in the location of Modjadji, the celebrated rain-queen, near Duivelskloof. This tall majestic tree has been protected by generations of rain-queens and now forms pure forest on the hills, the only cycad forest in Southern Africa" (Palmer & Pitman 1972).
A specimen in Modjadji Nature Reserve, Northern Province, South Africa was measured at 12.2 m tall (Robert Van Pelt pers. comm., 2003.11.24).
No data as of 2026-01-14.
No data as of 2026-01-14.
"The name transvenosus means "transverse veins" and refers to the fine network of veins between the main parallel veins which can be seen when a leaf is held up to the light" (Palmer & Pitman 1972).
Stapf, O. and J. Burtt Davy. 1926. Manual of the Flowering Plants and Ferns of the Transvaal with Swaziland, South Africa 1:40, 99.
Africa Cycads provides good photos, distribution maps and descriptions for all African cycads, including Encephalartos.
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Copyright 2026 The Gymnosperm Database
Edited by Christopher J. Earle
This page accessed on Friday, October 23, 2026
Last Modified 2026-01-14
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