All pictures copyright Myriam Mahiques personal archives. 2021.
We have lots of Palm trees in California, but these African Cycads (Encephalartos) are really impressive, it is such a beautiful view to see the leaves intersecting with different tones of greens, and close to us, given they are not tall, they grow up to 10 feet (3M).
It is interesting to know that they contain starch and a starchy type of bread can be prepared from the center of the stem, hence the other common names of "Bread trees", "Bread Palms", or "Kaffir Bread".
From Wikipedia: "All the species are endangered, some critically, due to their exploitation by collectors and traditional medicine gatherers. (...) EU Annex A. CITES prohibits international trade in specimens of these species except for certain non-commercial motives, such as scientific research." So I consider myself lucky to have enjoyed their view. Keep on reading:
I have taken these pictures at the San Diego Zoo. Please do not reproduce without my permission.
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