Cycas
| Cycas | |
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| Leaves and male cone ofCycas revoluta | |
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| Family: | Cycadaceae Persoon
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| Genus: | Cycas |
Cycasis agenusofplants.It is the only living genus remaining in theCycadaceaefamily. Cycads were common plants whendinosaursroamed the Earth, but are rare today.
Over 100speciesare known. Probably the best-known of these isCycas revoluta,theSago Palm.The generic name comes fromGreekkykasand means "palm tree". The plant is not a truepalm,however.
Cycasis native to theOld World;most species are around theequatorialregions. It is native to eastern and southeasternAsiaincluding thePhilippineswith 6 species (4 of which areendemic), easternAfrica(includingMadagascar), northernAustralia,Polynesia,andMicronesia.Australia has 26 species, while the Indo-Chinese area has about 30. The northernmost species (C. revoluta) is found at 31°N in southernJapan.The southernmost (C. megacarpa) is found at 26°S in southeastQueensland,Australia.
The plants have often been considered to be aliving fossil.The earliestfossilsof the genusCycasappear in theCainozoic,butCycas-like fossils occur well into theMesozoic.Phylogeneticstudies have shown that Cycadaceae is the sister-group to all other living cycads.
Other websites
[change|change source]- Cycad Pages:CycasArchived2020-11-06 at theWayback Machine
- Singh R. & Radha P. 2006.Cycas annaikalensis,a new species ofCycasfrom the Malabar Coast, Western Ghats, India.Brittonia58(2): 119-123.