40 articles
Bowenia
Bowenia is a Queensland-endemic cycad genus in Zamiaceae with two species, B. spectabilis and B. serrulata, unique among living cycads for bipinnate leaves and weevil pollination.
Ceratozamia
Ceratozamia is a genus of dioecious cycads (Zamiaceae) native from Mexico to Honduras, with horned sporophylls, about 36–43 species, montane karst habitats, and an Oligocene origin.
Ceratozamia hildae
Ceratozamia hildae, the bamboo cycad (cícada bambú, chamalillo), is an endangered Mexican cycad of the Sierra Gorda, Querétaro and San Luis Potosí, distinguished by bow-tie clusters of papery leaflets; CITES Appendix I, IUCN Endangered.
Ceratozamia mixeorum
Ceratozamia mixeorum (Chemnick, T.J.Greg. & Salas-Mor., 1997) is an endangered cycad endemic to the Sierra Mixe, Oaxaca, Mexico, growing in oak-Liquidambar cloud forest at 1450–1900 m; phylogenies place it with C. matudae.
Chigua
Chigua: a cycad genus named by Dennis W. Stevenson in 1990 (type Chigua restrepoi) and synonymized with Zamia by Lindstrom in 2009; also the indigenous-derived epithet of the fern-like species Zamia chigua Seem. (1854) from Colombia's Chocó.
Conservation of Cycas
Conservation of Cycas covers threats to the cycad genus Cycas: habitat destruction, harvesting for leaves and horticulture, invasive pests, and illegal trade that bypasses CITES protections.
Cycad
Cycads (Cycadales) are ancient dioecious gymnosperms with cones, palm-like leaves, and insect pollination, found in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. About 300-350 species survive; 63.2% of assessed species are threatened, the highest proportion of any gymnosperm group.
Cycadaceae
Cycadaceae is the cycad family holding the single genus Cycas, about 100 to 125 species from Africa to the Pacific and Australia, defined by frond-like female megasporophylls and a Palaeogene crown age.
Cycadales
Cycadales (cycads): ancient dioecious gymnosperm order, two families, 10 genera, ~368-380 species, Permian origin, insect pollination, toxins cycasin and BMAA, 68% threatened with extinction.
Cycas
Cycas is the sole genus of Cycadaceae, the sister lineage to all other cycads, with about 115 species from East Africa to the western Pacific, a Palaeogene crown age, and rapid Miocene radiations.
Cycas armstrongii
Cycas armstrongii is a fire-adapted cycad endemic to the Top End of Australia's Northern Territory, where dense stands in eucalypt savanna make it one of the world's most abundant cycads.
Cycas cultivation and horticulture
Cycas cultivation is the ornamental growing of Cycas, palm-like cycads including the sago palm (Cycas revoluta). It covers growing conditions, propagation from seed and offsets, pests, and toxicity.
Cycas media
Cycas media is a palm-like cycad of northern and eastern Australia, first described by Robert Brown in 1810, whose toxic seeds were a staple Aboriginal food after detoxification.
Cycas micronesica
Cycas micronesica, known in Chamorro as fadang, is a cycad native to Guam, Rota, Palau, and Yap whose populations collapsed after an invasive scale insect arrived in 2003.
Cycas revoluta
Cycas revoluta (sotetsu, sago cycad, Japanese sago palm) is a slow-growing dioecious cycad native to Fujian, the Ryukyus, Kyushu, Shikoku, and Taiwan; toxic cycasin-containing ornamental gymnosperm, IUCN Least Concern but threatened by the invasive cycad aulacaspis scale.
Cycas thouarsii
Cycas thouarsii is a trunk-forming cycad native to Madagascar, the Comoros, Aldabra, and East African coasts, reaching 10 m tall with distinctly bluish new leaves and buoyant seeds.
Cycasin
Cycasin (methylazoxymethanol beta-D-glucoside) is a carcinogenic, neurotoxic azoxyglycoside from cycads, isolated from Cycas revoluta seeds in 1955; gut bacterial beta-glucosidases release its toxic aglycone MAM.
Dioon
Dioon is a genus of 18 accepted cycad species in Zamiaceae, native from Mexico to Honduras. Originating about 56 Ma in eastern Mexico, it includes the slow-growing, ethnobotanically important chamal (Dioon edule).
Dioon edule
Dioon edule, chestnut dioon or chamal, a slow-growing Mexican cycad (Zamiaceae) from the Sierra Madre Oriental; dioecious, beetle-pollinated, over 2500 years lifespan, IUCN Near Threatened, CITES Appendix II, cold-hardy to about -12 °C.
Dioon holmgrenii
Dioon holmgrenii, Palmera de Sol, an endangered Mexican cycad (Zamiaceae) described in 1981, endemic to Pacific-slope pine-oak forest of Oaxaca at 580–850 m, with six genetically isolated populations.
Ecology and habitat of Cycas
The ecology and habitat of Cycas, the largest cycad genus, spans coastal dunes, savanna, rainforest, and limestone karst in the tropics, with insect pollination and fire-tolerant, nitrogen-fixing coralloid roots.
Encephalartos
Encephalartos (bread trees), African-endemic cycad genus in Zamiaceae with 68 taxa, 85% threatened, dioecious cone-bearing plants pollinated by specialized insects; all species CITES Appendix I.
Encephalartos ferox
Encephalartos ferox, the holly-leafed cycad (Zamiaceae), native Mozambique to KwaZulu-Natal; glossy spiny holly-like leaflets, bright red cones, dioecious, IUCN Near Threatened, CITES Appendix I, about 100,000 mature individuals.
Encephalartos horridus
Encephalartos horridus, the Eastern Cape blue cycad, is an Endangered South African cycad with intense blue foliage, a ~431 km2 range, under 5,000 mature plants, heavy poaching, and CITES Appendix I listing.
Encephalartos woodii
Encephalartos woodii, Wood's cycad, a South African cycad from Ngoye Forest, KwaZulu-Natal, extinct in the wild since 1916. Only one male plant was ever found in 1895; all cultivated specimens are male clones, and no female exists.
Eostangeria
Eostangeria is an extinct cycad genus from Paleogene Europe and western North America and Miocene Bulgaria, with fernlike, Stangeria-like leaflets but Zamiaceae epidermal anatomy, transitional between Zamia and Stangeria.
Lepidozamia
Lepidozamia, also called scaly zamia or pineapple cycad, is an Australian cycad genus of two species, L. hopei and L. peroffskyana, in Zamiaceae; sister to African Encephalartos, with large cones, toxic red seeds, and Eocene fossils at Anglesea, Victoria.
Macrozamia
Macrozamia is a genus of about 41 cycad species endemic to Australia, its largest cycad genus, known as zamia palm despite not being a true palm.
Microcycas
Microcycas, palma corcho, is a monotypic Cuban cycad genus whose single species Microcycas calocoma, endemic to Pinar del Río, is Critically Endangered, has the largest known cycad ovulate cone, and is closest to Zamia.
Morphology and reproduction of Cycas
Cycas is a genus of about 120 dioecious, palm-like cycads, unique among living cycad genera in bearing loose, leaf-like female megasporophylls rather than compact cones, alongside coralloid nitrogen-fixing roots.