This "near threatened species" from the Ituri Forest in Congo, grows well in warmer parts of Florida. As you can see in these photos that I snapped in St. Pete, Florida, the fruiting parts are quite beautiful. The very spiny leaves reach eleven feet long. "There is a small but localized population of about 1,000 mature individuals" in the Congo, however, if this species was targeted for harvest for the nursery trade, this secure but small population would be impacted severely quite rapidly. For this reason, it is and should be grown worldwide.
Sources for acquiring
cycadpalm.com in California sell small plants at a hefty price.
Last Updated: October 28, 2017