This Encephalartos villosus female plant was seen in the Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden with female cones but no leaves. The female cone is a deep yellow, 30 cm to 50 cm long and 20 cm to 25 cm wide. The seeds are dark red. The male cones are thinner, usually more in number.
The stump below shows the dry stalks of some old leaves that have been cut off, as well as the short green stalk of one of the cones. (Hugo, 2014; iNaturalist; Wikipedia; https://pza.sanbi.org).