Encephalartos

Encephalartos is a genus of cycads, primitive seed-bearing plants often called bread trees or bread palms, native to Africa, where a starchy, bread-like food was traditionally prepared from the pith at the centre of the stem. The genus name derives from the Ancient Greek enkephalos, head, and artos, bread, directly referencing this traditional use. As cycads, Encephalartos species are evolutionarily among the most primitive living gymnosperms, retaining reproductive structures and growth forms that have changed little since the group's Mesozoic heyday. Every species in the genus is now considered endangered, several critically so, chiefly due to over-collection by plant enthusiasts and gatherers supplying traditional medicine markets; the entire genus is listed under CITES Appendix I, the strictest level of international trade protection for wild specimens.