Cycas

Plant Characteristics

Origin:	✈	?

Cultivation

Exposure:	☼	?"?" is not in the list (sun, part-sun, shade, unknown) of allowed values for the "Exposure" property.
Water:	◍	?"?" is not in the list (wet, moist, moderate, dry, less when dormant) of allowed values for the "Water" property.

Scientific Names

Cycadaceae >

Cycas >

Cycas is the type genus and the only genus currently recognised in the cycad family Cycadaceae.

Read about Cycas in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture

Cycadaceae (from the genus Cycas, the Greek name of a certain palm). Cycas Family. Fig. 4. More or less woody plants, with thick, unbranched, columnar or tuberous stem: leaves alternate, pinnate: stamens and carpels borne in cones or in temporarily terminal clusters: scales of the staminate cone bearing very many scattered anthers on the under side: the carpels open, not forming a closed ovary, either leaf-like pinnatifid and bearing marginal ovules, or peltate with 2 or more suspended ovules; the latter very large, often 1 inch long, orthotropous, with 1 integument, becoming drupe-like. Cycadaceae has 9 genera and about 85 species, distributed in tropical and subtropical regions. Zamia is the largest genus, with 30 species. The family stands isolated among the gymnosperms. The palm-like habit, pinnate leaves, very numerous scattered stamens, and, in Cycas, the leaf-like carpel, are distinctive. Differences more important to the morphologist are to be found in the embryology, especially in the fertilization by motile sperm-cells. The leaves are circinate when unfolding, like those of a fern. The Cycadaceae represent an ancient family far more numerous in past geologic ages. Many fossil species are known. Various species of Cycas in the Moluccas and Japan, especially C. revoluta, yield a sago in the pithy part of the stem which the natives bake into bread. The Hottentots eat the pith of Encephalartos, making from it "Kafir bread.” The seeds of Cycas and Zamia are edible. The leaves of Cycas are used at funerals and church festivals as "palm branches." Several genera are in cultivation in America for greenhouse use and outdoors in the South. These are Bowenia; Ceratozamia of Mexico; Cycas (Sago Palm) of the far East; Dioon of Mexico; Encephalartos of South Africa; Macrozamia of Australia; Stangeria of South Africa; Zamia (Coontie, Comptie) of tropical America.CH The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.

Cultivation

Do you have cultivation info on this plant? Edit this section!

Propagation

Do you have propagation info on this plant? Edit this section!

Pests and diseases

Do you have pest and disease info on this plant? Edit this section!

Species

Cycas aculeata Cycas angulata Cycas annaikalensis Cycas apoa Cycas arenicola Cycas armstrongii Cycas arnhemica Cycas badensis Cycas balansae Cycas basaltica Cycas beddomei Cycas bifida Cycas bougainvilleana Cycas brachycantha Cycas brunnea Cycas cairnsiana Cycas calcicola Cycas campestris Cycas candida Cycas canalis Cycas chamaoensis Cycas changjiangensis Cycas chevalieri Cycas circinalis Cycas clivicola Cycas collina Cycas condaoensis Cycas conferta Cycas couttsiana Cycas curranii Cycas debaoensis Cycas desolata Cycas diannanensis

Cycas dolichophylla Cycas edentata Cycas elephantipes Cycas elongata Cycas falcata Cycas fairylakea Cycas ferruginea Cycas fugax Cycas furfuracea Cycas guizhouensis Cycas hainanensis Cycas hoabinhensis Cycas hongheensis Cycas inermis Cycas javana Cycas lanepoolei Cycas lindstromii Cycas litoralis Cycas maconochiei Cycas macrocarpa Cycas media Cycas megacarpa Cycas micholitzii Cycas micronesica Cycas multipinnata Cycas nathorstii Cycas nongnoochiae Cycas ophiolitica Cycas orientis Cycas pachypoda Cycas panzhihuaensis Cycas papuana

Cycas pectinata Cycas petraea Cycas platyphylla Cycas pranburiensis Cycas pruinosa Cycas revoluta Cycas riuminiana Cycas rumphii Cycas schumanniana Cycas scratchleyana Cycas seemafaux Cycas segmentifida Cycas semota Cycas sexseminifera Cycas siamensis Cycas silvestris Cycas simplicipinna Cycas spherica Cycas szechuanensis Cycas taitungensis Cycas taiwaniana Cycas tanqingii Cycas tansachana Cycas thouarsii Cycas tropophylla Cycas tuckeri Cycas wadei Cycas xipholepis Cycas yorkiana Cycas yunnanensis Cycas zambalensis Cycas zeylanica

Gallery

If you have a photo of this plant, please upload it! Plus, there may be other photos available for you to add.

• 

  photo 1

• 

  photo 2

• 

  photo 3

References

• Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture, by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963

External links

• w:Cycas. Some of the material on this page may be from Wikipedia, under the Creative Commons license.
• Cycas QR Code (Size 50, 100, 200, 500)