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Scientific Name | Encephalartos laevifolius Stapf & Burtt Davy |
Higher Classification | Gymnosperms |
Family | ZAMIACEAE |
Common Names | Broodboom (a), Cycad (e), Kaapsehoop Cycad (e), Kaapsehoop-broodboom (a) |
National Status |
Status and Criteria | Critically Endangered A2acde; C1+2a(i,ii); D |
Assessment Date | 2020/05/08 |
Assessor(s) | J.D. Bösenberg, T. Steyn, S. Rodgers & J.S. Donaldson |
Justification | This species is assessed as Critically Endangered. It has declined across its range and spectacular declines have been recorded for subpopulations in Kaapsehoop and Mariepskop (no longer present at this site), due to poaching, and subpopulations in Eswatini have also disappeared. All subpopulations appear to be affected by a fungal infection of the female cones, which destroys all the seeds. Overall the population has declined by more than 97% since the 1970s. This is less than one generation, but further extrapolation is difficult and so this is a minimum decline for the past three generations. The small number of plants remaining (estimated as 6-11), dispersed across several sites, suggests that the species will not be able to reproduce naturally and is functionally extinct in the wild. |
Distribution |
Endemism | Not endemic to South Africa |
Provincial distribution | Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga |
Range | Historically, this species used to occur in Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal, and the Eastern Cape provinces, South Africa as well as in Eswatini, but today it only occurs in Mpumalanga within the Kaapsehoop mountain range with an isolated colony occurring further north. The subpopulations in Eswatini as well as the Blyderivierspoort Nature Reserve in Mpumalanga, KwaZulu Natal, Limpopo, and the Eastern Cape provinces are all extinct due to poaching. It was originally recorded to occur from 950 up to 1,800 m asl. |
Habitat and Ecology |
Major system | Terrestrial |
Major habitats | Northern Escarpment Quartzite Sourveld |
Description | This species occurs in grassland or low shrubs on steep rocky slopes. Most localities are high altitude sites (1,300 to 1,500 m), with frequent mists. Like many other Encephalartos species, E. laevifolius appears to be adapted to a three to five year burning cycle. Plants grow in full sunlight in grassland or scrub. |
Threats |
| The most drastic effect has been by over-collecting for ornamental purposes and this is responsible for >97% decline since the 1970s. Signs of stem harvesting for traditional medicine have been observed although this has not been quantified. Evidence of plant pathogens have been reported since the 1980s with the infection occurring in female cones and resulting in abortion of cones. There is a limited threat associated with habitat loss due to timber plantations and alien invasive plants. |
Population |
Available data suggest that there are fewer than 50 plants remaining in the wild and possibly even less than that. The population originally consisted of a relatively large subpopulation in the Kaapsehoop area (early estimates of 1,700 plants) with smaller subpopulations occurring at Mariepskop (75 stems counted in 1970), Eswatini (25 plants) and KwaZulu Natal. Population surveys in 1990 (K. Zunckel MSc) counted 578 plants at Kaapsehoop, 182 on nearby farms and only 55 stems at Mariepskop. Zunckel (1990) estimated that poaching was resulting in the loss of one plant a month at the more accessible sites. By 2016, it was estimated that the population had declined by 97% due to poaching to supply the horticultural trade and private collections (Scientific Authority 2016). The subpopulations in KwaZulu Natal, Eswatini and Mariepskop had by then all been extirpated. Surveys underway in 2020-2021 detected only a single plant in the Kaapsehoop area (W. van Staden pers. comm.) and there is one other known site with 5-10 mature plants. Given the extremely low numbers and wide separation of the surviving plants, it should be regarded as functionally extinct in the Wild.
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Population trend | Decreasing |
Conservation |
| Plants occur in four nature reserves in Mpumalanga an Swaziland. |
Assessment History |
Taxon assessed |
Status and Criteria |
Citation/Red List version | | Encephalartos laevifolius Stapf & Burtt Davy | CR A2acde | Raimondo et al. (2009) | | Encephalartos laevifolius Stapf & Burtt Davy | EN B1B2abcd | Scott-Shaw (1999) | | Encephalartos laevifolius Stapf & Burtt Davy | Endangered | Hilton-Taylor (1996) | | Encephalartos laevifolius Stapf & Burtt Davy | Endangered | Hall et al. (1980) | |
Bibliography |
Boon, R. 2010. Pooley's Trees of eastern South Africa. Flora and Fauna Publications Trust, Durban.
Donaldson, J.S. 2003. Cycads. Status survey and conservation action plan. IUCN/SSC Cycad Specialist Group, Gland, Switzerland; Cambridge, UK.
Emery, A.J., Lötter, M. and Williamson, S.D. 2002. Determining the conservation value of land in Mpumalanga. Report to the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry, South Africa.
Grobbelaar, N. 2003. Cycads. With special reference to the southern African species. (2nd ed.). Nat Grobbelaar, Pretoria.
Hall, A.V., De Winter, M., De Winter, B. and Van Oosterhout, S.A.M. 1980. Threatened plants of southern Africa. South African National Scienctific Programmes Report 45. CSIR, Pretoria.
Hilton-Taylor, C. 1996. Red data list of southern African plants. Strelitzia 4. South African National Botanical Institute, Pretoria.
Osborne, R. 1989. Focus on Encephalartos laevifolius. Encephalartos 19:2-8.
Raimondo, D., von Staden, L., Foden, W., Victor, J.E., Helme, N.A., Turner, R.C., Kamundi, D.A. and Manyama, P.A. 2009. Red List of South African Plants. Strelitzia 25. South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria.
Scott-Shaw, C.R. 1999. Rare and threatened plants of KwaZulu-Natal and neighbouring regions. KwaZulu-Natal Nature Conservation Service, Pietermaritzburg.
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Citation |
| Bösenberg, J.D., Steyn, T., Rodgers, S. & Donaldson, J.S. 2020. Encephalartos laevifolius Stapf & Burtt Davy. National Assessment: Red List of South African Plants version . Accessed on 2025/05/12 |
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