Ituri forest cycad

On two granite mountains

Since 2015 it has been possible to admire the extremely rare Ituri forest cycad amongst the okapis in the Central African rainforest at the Diergaarde Blijdorp Zoo in Rotterdam. Encephalartos ituriensis, with its trunk of 6 m long and 50 cm in diameter, is a special member of the cycads, a nearly extinct group of plants. There are both male and female plants, which differ from one another in form, and abundance and size of the cone.

Ecology and habitat

This cycad is endemic (i.e. limited to a small areal extent) in the northeast of the Democratic Republic of Congo. There they grow on the edge of the rainforest on granite rocks or deep gores in the savannah. The Ituri forest cactus grows in the Ituri forest area in the province of Haut Zaire. This rare species is only found on two granite mountains, between 1100 and 1200 m in altitude, near the town of Nduye. The granite mountains appear as islands emerging from the surrounding rainforest. The Ituri forest cycad grows on high altitude grassland in a savannah-vegetation with all kinds of other shrubs.

Threat

There are no more than 1000 mature individuals left in the wild whose location is precisely known. The area where Encephalartos ituriensis occurs is relatively safe and there are few indications that the species is being collected. Based on its distribution, restricted to the two granite mountains, it is understandable that it has been granted inclusion on the IUCN Red List albeit that there are no real threats. There is a risk from potential collectors. The species has therefore been included in Appendix I of the CITES convention to prevent it from illegal trade. Encephalatos ituriensis occurs in the Okapi Faunal Reserve and as such links the species again with Rotterdam where this cycad lives alongside the endangered mammal, the okapi.