The Chimanimani cycad (Encephalartos chimanimaniensis) is a species of cycad that is endemic to the Chimanimani Mountains of eastern Zimbabwe. It is a threatened species which has been locally extirpated by cycad collectors.
These plants have an upright, unbranched stem, sometimes with additional stems growing from the base, reaching up to 1.8 meters in height and 45 cm in diameter.
The leaves are feather-like, 100âÂÂ150 cm long, made up of narrow leaflets with small spines along the edges, each leaflet being 12âÂÂ18 cm long and arranged at an angle of 45-80ð on the stem.
This species is dioecious, meaning it has separate male and female plants. The male cones are oval-shaped, green, 1-3 in number, and sit directly on the plant, measuring 50âÂÂ70 cm in length and 8âÂÂ10 cm in diameter, with large, diamond-shaped parts containing pollen. Female cones, found singly, are yellow-green, 35âÂÂ40 cm long, and 20âÂÂ23 cm wide, with bumpy surfaces on the parts containing seeds.
The seeds are oblong, measuring 20âÂÂ30 mm in length and 15âÂÂ20 mm in width, covered with a red fleshy sarcotesta.
According to an assessment in 2003, between 500 and 1,000 plants remained in the wild. Capela (2006) however provided an estimate of 1,200 mature plants at Makurupini and an additional 300 at Morambo, besides smaller isolated colonies.
It is found in mountain grassland in areas of high rainfall (over 1,800 mm per annum), and at an altitude of about 1,000 metres above sea level. It is associated with schist and quartzite sediments in granitic mountains.