Encephalartos horridus

Encephalartos horridus, the Eastern Cape blue cycad, is a compact, clumping cycad with stiff, spiny foliage. The Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney describes it as a slow-growing species that clumps to about 0.8 m high. ([Kew POWO](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:297093-1); [Botanic Gardens of Sydney](https://www.botanicgardens.org.au/our-science/our-collections/plant-families/cycads)) ## Form and foliage The foliage is silvery blue when young and becomes greener with age. The species occurs in the Port Elizabeth and Uitenhage districts of South Africa’s Eastern Cape, in sunny, dry shrubland and rocky ridges. Its low, dense habit makes it suited to a rockery or an open specimen position where the sharp leaflets will not brush against a path. ## Site and soil Provide full sun and free drainage. The source describes shallow, rocky soils in the habitat; avoid a site where water remains around the caudex. Mature dimensions and foliage tone can vary between plants. ## Maintenance Give the plant room as its clump develops and handle the leaves carefully. The slowly growing crown does not call for routine shaping; preserve its natural form and keep water moving through the root zone.