Encephalartos caffer

(Thunb.) Lehm.

Hottentot bread-fruit, Kaffir bread, Caffir bread

Zamiaceae Edible: Pith, Fruit, Stem 17 iNaturalist observations

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Description

A cycad. It is a plant with an underground stem. It has tuberous roots. The stem is 30 cm long and 15-25 cm wide. It is woolly at the crown. The leaves are 40-90 cm long. There are several leaflets.

Edible Uses

The pith of the stem is a major source of starch used to make bread and is traditionally processed by burying for several months before pounding. The flesh and centre of female cones are also eaten.

Traditional Uses

The centre of the trunk is used as food. It is the source of starch used for a kind of bread. The centre of the female cones is used as food. The flesh around the female cones is used as food. The stem is buried for some months, then pounded used as food.

Distribution

It is a subtropical plant.

Where It Grows

Africa, South Africa, Southern Africa,

Synonyms

Cycas caffra Thunb. Cycas villosa A. DC.and others

References (6)

Facciola, S., 1998, Cornucopia 2: a Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, p 247
Hedrick, U.P., 1919, (Ed.), Sturtevant's edible plants of the world. p 290
Nov. stirp. pug. 6:14. 1834
Ruiters-Welcome, A. K., 2019, Food plants of southern Africa. Ph.D. thesis. Univ. of Johannesburg p 108
Uphof,

Show all 6 references

Welcome, A. K. & Van Wyk, B.-E., 2019, An inventory and analysis of the food plants of southern Africa. South African Journal of Botany 122 (2019) 136–179