Encephalartos cupidus is a species of cycad that is found in the Limpopo Province, South Africa at elevations of 700 up to 1,500.
This is a small, stemless cycad that grows 15âÂÂ40 cm tall and 20âÂÂ30 cm in diameter. It doesn't have branches, but secondary stems can sprout from shoots at its base. Its pinnate leaves form a crown at the top, reaching up to 100 cm in length. Each leaf is made up of lanceolate leaflets with spiny edges, arranged at an angle of 50-100ð along the rachis. This species is dioecious, producing solitary male cones that are apple green, fusiform, and 18âÂÂ30 cm long, and pedunculated. The female cones are ovoid, usually solitary but sometimes in pairs, and 20âÂÂ30 cm long. The seeds are ovoid, 25âÂÂ35 mm long, 15âÂÂ20 mm wide, and covered with apricot-colored sarcotesta.