Encephalartos ngoyanus I.Verd.

Stems mainly subterranean sometimes with about 20 cm exposed, about 20 cm diam. at ground level, top dome shaped; roots of plants dug up in the veld not stout. Leaves 3 to 7 in a whorl, about 60 cm long (in shade up to 120 cm long); petiole slender, 10 to 30 cm long and about 6-8 mm wide just above pulvinus, covered with long silky and woolly off-white pubescence (densely so at base), glabrescent; rhachis slender, pubescent with long silky-woolly, off-white hairs, becoming glabrescent, upper surface very narrow, rounded, with 2 longitudinal grooves (not always obvious in living state), lower surface rounded (through greater arc); leaflets arising in a medium V, sub-oblique across the rhachis, linear-lanceolate, 7-8 cm long, 9-11 mm broad (in shade up to 12 cm long and 1 x 5 cm broad) reducing in size abruptly to apex of leaf and gradually to base, usually to a miniature leaflet (rarely lobate or to so small a leaflet that it looks like a prickel), margins with 1 to 3 proclivent teeth on lower margin or occasionally entire (the uppermost tooth near the apex), both surfaces thinly pubescent (pubescence obvious on margins) glabrescent, nerves showing on lower surface, sometimes also on upper (not so obvious on growing plant), apices pungent, base subequally narrowed to about 3 to 4 mm (not obviously folded or twisted at the base. Male cone (past maturity, dry) remains of peduncle 2 cm long; cone 20 cm long, 4-5 cm diam., more or less cylindric; median scales (lower surface) 1-8 cm long and 2-2 cm wide, covered with sporangia except for a narrow area, 3 mm-5 mm wide, upper surface smooth and shallowly concave; scale face smooth, flat 2-2 cm broad and 1-4 cm vertically (no shoulders), rhomboid with an inner rhomboid area faintly indicated but not raised; lower margin with an acute edge produced downwards to overlap slightly the scale below, upper margin blunt. Female cone pale olive-green turning yellow with maturity, shortly pedunculate, ellipsoid-subovate in outline, about 23 cm long and 10 cm diam.,scales in about 9 spirals; median scale, face 4-5 cm in width, 3 cm vertically, more or less flattened or slightly convex above with only a faint indication of a flatish rhomboid area in lower portion, (no lateral angles on scale face); lower edge a sharp ridge produced downwards, slightly overlapping the scale below; upper edge blunt; stipe yellow tinged with orange, quadrate, 2 cm long; arms short winged (spreading, not decurved), same colour as stipe. Seed scarlet about 2-7 cm long, 2 cm broad, truncate and fleshy at the distal end, area of attachment small, about 6 mm diam.