Herb Academy

Professional Online Herbalist Training

  • Home
  • My Courses
    • My Achievements
    • My Account
  • Training Paths
  • Resource Library
  • Monographs
  • Enrollments

December 20, 2019

Encephalartos natalensis

Encephalartos natalensis

Encephalartos natalensis (Natalbroodboom, Natal Cycad) is a ‘living fossil’ that is used as an antidote to evil spirits.

Encephalartos natalensis Monograph

This monograph contains details of Encephalartos natalensis as per the references cited below. If you can provide any additional information, photos or reliable records, or spot any errors, please leave a comment below or in The Muthi Flora of southern Africa Facebook group.

Traditional Medicinal Uses of Encephalartos natalensis

Applied in a magical sense. Plants known as isigqiki-somkhovu are used as antidotes to evil spirits.

Edible: In times of famine the pith of the stem was used as a substitute for bread flour, hence the common names.

Eco-Gardening

Cycads are regarded as “living fossils”, as their relatives have been found as fossils in rocks dated back to the Triassic Era. This means that during that era these plants could have been dinosaur food!

Encephalartos natalensis is an evergreen quick-growing cycad, up to 6.5 m high and with a stem or trunk of about 0.4 m in diameter. Plant it in a well-drained rich soil mixture and give it moderate moisture. Some forms of E. natalensis are much more frost resistant than others, but give all of them some protection from cold when young. Plant seedlings into the garden when about 3 years old, and with leaves about 1 m long. Remove any old and dead leaves. (Credit: PlantZAfrica – http://pza.sanbi.org/encephalartos-natalensis)

Conservation Status

Through the years, vast numbers of Encephalartos natalensis have been removed from their natural habitat, primarily for landscaping purposes. Some subpopulations have been impacted by collecting and bark harvesting for medicinal purposes. For example, the plants at the type locality at Monteseel have been debarked resulting in mortality.

Habitat and Ecology

Forest, Grassland, Indian Ocean Coastal Belt, Savanna. Cliffs and either hot, dry slopes or cool, south-facing, often forested slopes.

References

Arnold. T.H., Prentice, C.A., Hawker, L.C., Snyman, E.E., Tomalin, M., Crouch, N.R. and Pottas-Bircher, C. (2002). Medicinal and magical plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 13. South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria.

Hutchings, A., Scott, A.H., Lewis, G., Cunnigham, A.B., (1996). Zulu Medicinal Plants: an inventory. University of Natal

Donaldson, J.S. 2009. Encephalartos natalensis R.A.Dyer & I.Verd. National Assessment: Red List of South African Plants version 2017.1. Accessed on 2020/01/04

Quick Links: Monograph Library | Advanced Monograph Search

Additional Data (Advanced Search Fields)

Vernacular Names
Broodboom, Natalbroodboom (Afrikaans); Cycad, Giant Cycad, Natal Cycad, Natal Giant Cycad (English); Umguza, Umphanga (Xhosa); Isidwaba-somkhovu, Isigqiki-semkhovu, Umhlungulo (Zulu)
Family
Zamiaceae
Broad Use Categories
Eco-Gardening, Edible, Protective Charm
Application (Uses)
evil
Plant Type
Tree, shrub
Parts Used
Bark, Stem
Origin
Endemic
Distribution
Gauteng Province (G), KwaZulu-Natal Province (KZN), Eastern Cape Province (EC)
Habitat
Forest, Grassland, Indian Ocean Coastal Belt, Savanna
Conservation Status
(NT) According to the Red List of South African plants, Encephalartos natalensis is Near Threatened.
Trade
Traded
Monograph Type
Expanded
Pin
Share
1 Shares

Article by Di-Di Leave a Comment

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

LEARNER LOGIN

Lost your Password? Recover it here

Browse Monographs by Application

abdominal pain abscesses anthelmintic aphrodisiac asthma blisters burns and scalds chest pains colds colic constipation cough diabetes diarrhoea dizziness dysentery eczema emetic enema epilepsy evil fever fodder furniture haemorrhoids headache high blood pressure indigestion infertility insomnia jaundice menses pimples purgative ringworm snakebite snakes snuff sores sore throat sunburn syphilis tonic venereal disease wounds

Popular Courses

  • level 6 professional family herbalist Professional Family Herbalist - Complete 12-in-1 Course Bundle $239.60
  • level 3 professional family herbalist course bundle Level 3 Professional Family Herbalist: 6-in-1 Course Bundle $119.60
  • cooking with herbs and spices Cooking With Herbs and Spices - Mini Masterclass
    Rated 4.76 out of 5
    $15.92

Recent Comments

  • Amber Jaramillo on Health, Your Birthright
  • Amber Jaramillo on The Muthi Flora of southern Africa: Facebook Group
  • Amber Jaramillo on The Herb Book: The Most Complete Catalog of Herbs Ever Published
  • Amber Jaramillo on Hypoxidaceae (Star Lilies)
  • Amber Jaramillo on Meet The Medicinal Plant Families of southern Africa

Member Admin

  • About
  • FAQ’s
  • Terms of Service
  • Contact Us

Registrations

  • Amateur Herbalist
  • Professional Herbalist
  • Master Green Healer
  • Masterclasses

Need Help?

+27 82 416 7145

Connect With Us

  • E-mail
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • RSS

Copyright © 2004 – 2022 All Rights Reserved