Description

Very thick, boat-shaped leaflets with stiff, hook-like recurved apices; narrow yellowish cones with a pink bloom; few shortly stalked pollen cones; sessile seed cones.

Plants arborescent; stem 3 m tall, 80 cm diam.

Leaves 100-150 cm long, dark green, highly glossy, slightly keeled; rachis green, straight, stiff, not spirally twisted; petiole straight, with 6-12 prickles; leaf-base collar not present; basal leaflets reducing to spines.

Leaflets lanceolate, weakly discolorous, not lobed, insertion angle obtuse (45-80°) or acute (less than 45°); margins recurved; upper margin entire (no teeth), or lightly toothed (1-3 teeth); lower margin entire (no teeth), or lightly toothed (1-3 teeth); median leaflets 15-20 cm long, 20-30 mm wide.

Pollen cones 1-3, narrowly ovoid, yellow, 25-30 cm long, 6-8 cm diam.

Seed cones 1-3, ovoid, yellow, 26-30 cm long, 14-16 cm diam.

Seeds oblong, 40-60 mm long, 20-25 mm wide, sarcotesta red or yellow.

Distribution & Habitat

Outside Nampula, central Mozambique.

 

Notes:

Honoring Ian S. Turner of Zimbabwe, well known student and collector of cycads and collector of the type. Described in 1988 by South African botanists - Lavranos and Douglas Goode.

 

References & Acknowledgements:

• Image - Cycads.com
• Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney