Encephalartos mackenziei
Overview
A detailed profile for this species is sourced from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as assessments become available.
Encephalartos mackenziei faces severe pressure from illegal collection for the horticultural trade, with mature plants commanding extremely high prices that drive continued poaching from wild populations. Habitat degradation through agricultural expansion and human settlement development has further reduced available growing sites. The species' extremely slow growth rate and limited reproductive capacity make recovery from population losses exceptionally difficult, while climate change threatens to alter the specific environmental conditions required for successful regeneration.
Habitat
This cycad species inhabits rocky outcrops and steep slopes in grassland and savanna regions of South Africa, typically growing in well-drained soils among scattered trees and shrubs. It occurs at elevations where it receives adequate rainfall but benefits from the protection of rocky terrain that provides some shelter from extreme weather conditions.
