The leaves of Encephalartos lanatus are blue-grey and woolly when young, grey-green and up to 80 cm long when mature. They tend to curve downwards close to the tips.
The smooth-margined leaflets are twisted sideways here. The upper surfaces are green or bluish in random, discrete patches. Some leaflet tips are yellowish (Coates Palgrave, 2002; iNaturalist; www.plantzafrica.com).