Cycad

Cycad, common name for any of a group of three families of slow-growing palm-like plants. Today only ten genera and 106 species of cycads occur, but during the Age of the Dinosaurs, the Jurassic period, some 200 million years ago, they were the dominant plant life. Cycads are primitive gymnosperms (“naked seed” plants) with motile sperm cells, producing exposed seeds in cone-like clusters at the apex of the plants. They occur in tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate areas. Most are plants of unbranched columnar stems with frond-like leaves clustered at the tip. Cycads are evergreens with attractive foliage, and plants of all genera are cultivated for their horticultural value. They are grown out-of-doors in warm areas and as house plants in colder regions. Several species are a source of sago, used to make bread and other starchy foods. One species is a popular bonsai subject. Most cycads are in danger of extinction because of indiscriminate collectors.

Scientific classification: Cycads constitute the order Cycadopsida. The three families are the Cycadaceae, the Stangeriaceae, and the Zamiaceae. The popular bonsai species is classified as Cycas revoluta.