Encephalartos eugene-maraisii is a species of cycad in the family Zamiaceae. It is endemic to South Africa, where it is limited to Limpopo. It is known as the Waterberg cycad.
This plant grows in the sandstone hills of the Waterberg Range at 1400 to 1500 meters in elevation. The habitat is grassland and savanna. This endangered species is threatened by overcollection.
This species was named for South African naturalist Eugène Marais.
This cycad is tree-like, with a stem up to 2.5 m tall and 30âÂÂ45 cm wide. Its leaves are bluish or silvery, 100âÂÂ150 cm long, and have a strong keel. The leaflets are lanceolate, 15âÂÂ20 cm long, and arranged oppositely along the rachis at a 45âÂÂ80ð angle. They have smooth margins, although the lower leaflets may have a single spine. This species is dioecious, with brown, spindle-shaped male cones that are 20âÂÂ40 cm long and 6âÂÂ8 cm wide. Each plant can produce up to three of these cones. The female cones are ovoid, 30âÂÂ50 cm long, and 16âÂÂ20 cm in diameter, with each plant producing up to two at a time. The seeds are oblong, 35âÂÂ40 mm long, and covered with an orange or brown sarcotesta.