Episode Details

Blyde River Cycad :: Encephalartos cupidus

Bad at Goodbyes :: Episode 046

On today’s show we learn about the Blyde River Cycad, a critically endangered plant native to southeastern Africa, specifically the Mpumalanga province of South Africa.

• (00:05) Intro
• (02:05) Species Information
• (21:04) Citations
• (22:19) Music
• (27:35) Pledge

Research for today’s show was compiled from:

• IUCN – https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/41884/243425210
• Masters Dissertation. Tafirei, R. University of Johannesburg (2016). “An integrative approach towards setting conservation priority for cycad species at a global scale”. – https://ujcontent.uj.ac.za/esploro/outputs/graduate/An-integrative-approach-towards-setting-conservation/9912977807691#file-0
• Plant Biology and Biotechnology. “Cycads: An Overview.” Goel, A.K., Khuraijam, J.S. (2015). In: Bahadur, B., Venkat Rajam, M., Sahijram, L., Krishnamurthy, K. (eds). Springer, New Delhi. – https://doi.org/10.1007/978-81-322-2286-6_14
• SINET: Ethiopian Journal of Science, Vol. 45 No. 1 (2022). “Determining regions of higher extinction risk occurrences in South African cycads”. Bamigboye, Samuel O. – https://doi.org/10.4314/sinet.v45i1.10
• “South African Encephalartos Species”. Donaldson, John. (2008). – https://www.researchgate.net/publication/255595089_SOUTH_AFRICAN_ENCEPHALARTOS_SPECIES 
• South African National Biodiversity Institute. “Encephalartos cupidus. National Assessment: Red List of South African Plants” Bösenberg, J.D., Steyn, T. & Donaldson, J.S. 2020. – http://redlist.sanbi.org/species.php?species=823-8
• Wikipedia – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Encephalartos_cupidus
• World Flora Online. “WFO (2025): Encephalartos cupidus” – https://www.worldfloraonline.org/taxon/wfo-0000667360

Please find us on the web at Bad at Goodbyes and on instagram. Please subscribe and rate/review Bad at Goodbyes wherever you listen to podcasts. Please help spread the word about the show and about the species we feature. Please take care of each other, and all of our fellow travelers.

A note on accuracy: I strive for it! These episodes are well-researched and built from scholarly sources, hoping to provide an informed and accurate portrait of these species. That said, I’m an ambient musician! I am not an academic and have limited scientific background. I may get things wrong! If you are using this podcast for scholarship of any kind, please see the cited sources and double-ch