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Cycads in South Africa. Cycads / ˈ s aɪ k æ d z / are seed plants that typically have a stout and woody trunk with a crown of large, hard, stiff, evergreen and (usually) pinnate leaves. The species are dioecious, that is, individual plants of a species are either male or female. Cycads vary in size from having trunks only a few centimeters ...
The seeds when mature measure about 5 cm (2.0 in) long by 4 cm (1.6 in) wide and are sheathed in a bright red sarcotesta. [4] [5] [6] It is reputed to be the tallest known species of cycad and it towers over other understorey vegetation, but rarely reaches the forest canopy. [6] [7]: 4
A specimen of L. hopei is known as the tallest living cycad at 17.5 m tall. These cycads are generally unbranched, tall, and with persistent leaf bases. They are easily cultivated as ornamental plants and are relatively cold hardy; L. peroffskyana was first described by a specimen grown at Saint Petersburg Botanical Garden in 1857.
Cycas is a genus of cycad, and the only genus in the family Cycadaceae with all other genera of cycad being divided between the Stangeriaceae and Zamiaceae families. Cycas circinalis, a species endemic to India, was the first cycad species to be described in western literature, and is the type species of the genus. [4] [5]
The seed cones are greenish-gray to gray, cylindrical to ovoid-cylindrical in shape, acuminate at the apex, 8 to 12 centimeters long and 4 to 7 centimeters in diameter. The plant has red seeds, about 1.3 to 1.8 centimeters long and 0.5 to 0.8 centimeters in diameter.
Some cycads, such as this Macrozamia communis, produce seeds with a sarcotesta. The sarcotesta is a fleshy seedcoat, [1] a type of testa. Examples of seeds with a sarcotesta are pomegranate and some cycad seeds. The sarcotesta of pomegranate seeds consists of epidermal cells derived from the integument, and there are no arils on these seeds. [2]
The Madagascar cycad is found on Madagascar and the nearby islands of Comoros, Mayotte and the Seychelles. It is also found along the coasts of Kenya, Mozambique, and Tanzania. [1] According to de Laubenfels and Adema, the plant is also found in Sri Lanka, but this may be confusion with the closely related Cycas circinalis. [2]
This cycad grows to 6 metres tall with a trunk diameter of 50 cm. It has glossy dark green leaves. The leaflets are curved and tapering, with a spine at the top and several teeth along the margin. [3] Like other cycads, E. ituriensis is dioecious, with both male and female trees. Male trees have 1–4 pollen cones, narrowly ovoid. Female trees ...