Encephalartos laurentianus

Encephalartos laurentianus, commonly called the malele or Kwango giant cycad, is a species of cycad that is native to northern Angola and southern Democratic Republic of Congo, along their common border on the Kwango River.

Description

It is the largest of all cycads, with multiple stems both upright and prostrate, each as much as in length, and bearing a rosette of massive once-pinnate fronds in length, in width, and with a petiole or stalk up to thick where it joins the stem or trunk. Each stem can be up to thick. The pollen cones are long, and the seed cones long. This is also said to be the fastest growing cycad, producing up to five "flushes" of leaves each year. The species was discovered in 1902 by Louis Gentil, and named after the 19th century Belgian botanist Emile Laurent.