Encephalartos latifrons Lehm.

Plant unbranched or more usually branched from the base with stems up to about 2.5-3 m tall, rarely taller. Leaves finely pubescent throughout when young, glabrescent with age, 1-1.5 m long including petiole 10-20 cm long; rhachis rigid, recurved or curled in the upper half, thickly tomentose round base and on pulvinus with whitish collar; leaflets rigid, dark green, overlapping in the upper half of leaf and in V disposition, more spreading in lower half of leaf and gradually reduced in size, but only the lowest sometimes prickle-like; median leaflets ovate-oblong, 10-15 cm long, 4-6 cm broad with attachment 1.5-2 cm broad, pungent, with upper margin entire, rarely toothed, lower margin with 2-4 deep triangular pungent lobes sometimes somewhat twisted. Cones 1-3 together on short stout peduncles, general colour dark green or dark blue-green. Male cones subcylindric narrowed to both ends, 30-50 cm long, 8-17 cm diam.; median scale 6-7 cm long, broadly obovate-oblong in the sporngial portion, 4-4.5 cm long, 3-3.5 cm broad, with acute lateral ridges; bulla face projecting into a slightly decurved beak about 2 cm long, sparsely covered with adpressed red scaly hairs, upper and lower facets variably ribbed, terminal facet slightly concave, about 1 cm broad and slightly narrower vertically. Female cones barrel-shaped, up to about 60 cm long and 25 cm diam.; median scales about 8.5 cm long and 5.5 cm broad, with lateral ridges extending into incurved lateral lobes about 1 cm long; bulla face protruding 2-2.5 cm, the surface with coarse pointed or blunt papillae and pale brownish scaly hairs mixed with scales, upper facet ridged or crested; lower facet rounded; terminal facet irregularly shaped, 1-1.3 cm diam., slightly narrower vertically, concave or excavate with prominent margin. Seeds red, angled by compression, about 5 cm long and 2-2.5 cm diam., with fleshy beak.