Cycad

Of all the plants that reproduce by seeds, cycads (pronounced “SIGH-cads”) are the most ancient. Cycads have been growing on Earth for perhaps 300 million years! Long ago, vast forests of cycads grew everywhere and in every climate; today, wild cycads are found mostly in the tropics and subtropics.

In each species of cycad, there are plants with only male cones and others with only female cones. It takes pollen from the males to fertilize the cones of a female to make seeds—and then new cycad plants. Some cycads live for more than 1,000 years!

Cycads ruled the plant kingdom during Jurassic time (200 to 150 million years ago), but you can have a little reminder of the Jurassic in your own garden today.

Cycads that are propagated and available from reputable commercial outlets make excellent accent plants for gardens of many styles. Depending on the species, they are at home in full shade or full sun. They are not greedy when it comes to water and most species prefer well-drained soil. Cycads grow very slowly.