The wonderfully peaceful and green oasis of the Durban Botanical Gardens lies between the City of Durban and the hills of the Berea and is the oldest Botanical Gardens in Durban, founded in 1849, and modelled on the Gardens in Cape Town. The Cycad Collection is apparently the rarest in the world and has been built up since the gardens were started. 

Cycads are apparently the oldest living seed plants but are facing an increasing threat of extinction.

I spent some time with this wonderful plant, poking the camera into odd corners, trying to understand the hardness of the leaves and generally looking odd while everyone else was relaxing or being a wedding guest on a burning hot and humid day!