Stangeria eriopus is a cycad endemic to southern Africa. It is the sole species in the genus Stangeria, most closely related to the Australian genus Bowenia, with which it forms the family Stangeriaceae. Description Stangeria eriopus is a very long-lived, perennial, evergreen cycad. The stalked, feathered, fern-like leaves are between 25 centimeters and two meters long, with the petiole comprising one third to one half of the overall length (in both varieties). They are pinnately-veined, which distinguishes the species from all other cycads. The petiole comprises half the length of the leaf. The young leaves are bent in bud position, the tip appears rolled up. Young leaves are dotted with short, gray hairs (trichomes), which usually fall off quickly and only stick to the petiole. These trichomes are unbranched and transparent or colored. The species occurs as two variable forms or varieties. The forest form, growing in regions with higher rainfall, is characterized by large, wide leaves that can reach up to 2 m in length. The grassland form, growing in regions subject to annual fire and drought, has shorter leaves with a thicker cuticle that may only be 30 cm long. Tubers Stems are completely subterranean and the root tuber is shaped like a carrot, which reaches a diameter of 10 to 25 centimeters. The tip bifurcates into several shoot tips. These form at the beginning wooly scales, but fall off early. As in other cycads, S. eriopus forms coralloid roots. These are specialized, plagiotropic (sideways-growing) roots housing colonies of cyanobacteria Bacillus radicola and Azotobacter sp. that fix nitrogen, much like the roots of legumes. The tuber is rich in carbohydrates and contains an exceptionally high concentration of sodium sulfate, which explains the breaking-irritant effect. The most common biflavones in the leaves are amentoflavone and bilobetin. Cones S. eriopus reaches maturity at 5–7 years of age, and has stalked cones as reproductive organs. As is typical of cycads, the species is dioecious, meaning that male and female cones are borne on different plants. Both male and female cones are pedunculated and covered with silvery hair when young, which is deciduous at maturity. Male cone The male cone is cylindrical and tapers towards the tip. At maturity reaches a diameter between 30 – 40 mm and becomes between 10 – 25 cm long. The cone then turns yellowish brown at maturity. The scales or microsporophyll, are arranged cylindrically around the