Middelburg Cycad

It is a cycad with an arborescent habit, with an erect or decumbent stem, up to 10 m (33 ft) tall and 35–45 cm (14–18 in) in diameter, often with secondary stems originating from basal suckers. The leaves, pinnate, arranged in a crown at the apex of the stem, are 1.2–1.5 m (3 ft 11 in – 4 ft 11 in) long, supported by a 30–40 cm (12–16 in) long petiole with a densely tomentose base, and composed of numerous pairs of lanceolate, leathery leaflets, up to 20 cm (7.9 in) long, with entire margin or occasionally with a single spine on the inferior margin and sharp apex. It is a dioecious species, with male specimens that have from 1 to 8 cylindrical or strictly ovoid cones, erect, 30–55 cm (12–22 in) long and 8–12 cm (3.1–4.7 in) broad, green in color and covered with a brownish tomentum, and female specimens with 1-6 cylindrical cones, about 35–45 cm (14–18 in) long and 17–20 cm (6.7–7.9 in) wide, the same color as the male cones. The seeds are coarsely ovoid, 3–3.5 cm (1.2–1.4 in) long, covered with a yellow to brown sarcotesta.