Encephalartos arenarius R.A.Dyer

Plant unbranched or more usually branched from the base; stem up to about 1 m tall and at this length often somewhat reclinate, 20-30 cm diam. Leaves 1-1.5 m long including petiole 15-20 cm long; rhachis spreading, recurved in upper half, glabrous except for brown tomentose pulvinus; leaflets somewhat glaucous, light green when young gradually darker green with age, overlapping in the apical half and in V disposition, more spaced in the lower half and reduced in size occasionally to one prickle; median leaflets oblong-lanceolate, flat or slightly twisted and slightly curved upwards, 12-16 cm long, 2.5-4 cm broad with 1-1.5 cm broad attachment, closely but not prominently veined on lower surface, pungent with upper margin entire or occasionally a single tooth and lower margin usually with 3 rarely 4 flat or slightly twisted pungent lobes. Cones single on short stout peduncles. Male cones (incomplete); median scales 3-3.5 cm long, 2.25-2.5 cm broad; bulla face projected into a beak about 1 cm long. Female cones mainly barrel-shaped with rounded base and apex, 35-45 cm long and 20 cm diam., somewhat glaucous; median scales about 6.5-7 cm long, 5 cm broad and 4 cm thick vertically, with lateral ridges extending into incurved lateral lobes up to 2 cm long; bulla face projecting about 2 cm, upper and lower facets with or without ridges and surface slightly and irregularly undulate or minutely papillate; terminal facet 10-12 mm broad and about the same in width vertically, concave. Seeds coral-red, up to about 5 cm long, 2-2.5 cm broad with fleshy beak.