Encephalartos senticosus or lebomboensis

Encephalartos lebomboensis or E. senticosus? The Lebombo Mountains (a large area in Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal and Swaziland) have many stands or separate populations of cycads that since 1995 have been called E. senticosus.

They were previously known as E. lebomboensis, but some reserve that name now for only the Retief form of E. lebomboensis that has a limited distribution area around the town of Piet Retief in the south-eastern corner of Mpumalanga.

A second variation of the Retief form is said to grow to the north around Mananga, still in Mpumalanga. The differences lie mainly in the colouring of and number of cones, comprehensively discussed and depicted on www.plantzafrica.com.