Cycads
Author - Rob Kunitz

Cycads occur naturally in many regions of the world, mostly within the tropics. They are a very old group of plants with fossil evidence dating them back as far as 230 000 000 years ago (Grobelaar).

Cycads superficially resemble palms or ferns, but are in fact Gymnosperms and are therefore far more closely related to other well known plants such as Podocarpus (Yellowoods), Pinus (Pine trees), Ghinko biloba and Welwitchia. Cycads also produce cones (male and female) instead of flowers or spores. Cycads are called ‘Broodboom’ in Afrikaans due to the fact that indigenous people made/make a type of bread from them. Sadly large plants are cut down the ‘pith’ removed from inside these stems which is used to make the bread.



3 main groups/families of cycads are to be found with 2 of these occurring in Africa. Stangeriaceae has only 1 species in Africa, the interesting Stangeria eriopus which is the only species in the genus and has soft ‘ fern-like’ leaves and occurs in Kzn. The other family is Zamiaceae where we there are a number of genera, one of which is Encephalartos which is only found in Africa. Most of the species (over 40) in this genus are to be found in South Africa.



Cycads are dioecious meaning that the fruiting bodies (cones) are born on separate male and female plants. They can be propagated from seed or vegetatively from suckers. When propagating from seed it is important to make sure that the female cone is correctly pollinated with the correct pollen at the right moment when it was receptive in order to ensure that the pollination will be successful. It was though that cycads were wind pollinated, but more and more evidence shows that insects are in fact the pollinators, some only found on a specific cycad species. Encephalartos produce seeds whether they are fertile or not, unlike Cycas where the seeds only enlarge and mature if pollination was successful. In Encephalartos further tests need to performed on the seed to check if it is viable. In Encephalartos both sexes produce 1 or more cones depending on the species and age of the plant. Some species cone almost every year while others every 20yrs if you’re lucky! The cones can range in size from 150mm x 150mm to over 1m x 250mm, sometimes weighing over 40Kg’s each. About 50 to over 300 seeds are released from a single cone depending on the species. The sarcotesta (flesh) on the outside is enjoyed by birds, monkeys, baboons, and other animals which disperse the seed. They eat only this outer part of the seeds and leave the sclerotesta (hard shell) and endosperm (kernel) inside. Somehow they know that the ‘kernel’ is very toxic!



Suckers can be removed from parent plants using the correct procedures. One advantage of this is that these plants are clones of the parent plant and so one will know the sex of the plant. Female plants are usually more desirable as one can get seed from them, unlike the males which only produce the pollen. Another advantage of being able to multiply cycads is in the case of very rare species such as E. woodii where no female plant has ever been found and so it can’t be propagated from seed. This is also the case for very rare forms within a species such as the E. middleburgensis ‘Avontuur’ form where only male plants occur, and E. laevifolius ‘Krokodil Poort’ where only a female plant is known.



Encephalartos of all sizes and forms can be found which have evolved to survive in their environments. The species range from small subterranean plants with mature stems (caudexes) about 150mm to some of the tallest in world like E. transvenosus which stand up to 14m tall!. These different species grow at different rates, so an E. transvenosus over 5m tall may only be up to a few hundred years old, whereas an E. ghellinckii or E. frederici-guililmii with a 1m stem may be far older.



Sadly numerous species have become extinct in the wild due to theft and the muti trade. There are laws in place to protect these botanical ‘treasures’ we still have with us today, but cycads are often very sought after and expensive and are still being stolen from the wild (and even botanical gardens, etc.). Seeing them in the wild is very special and no one could recreate the beauty of them growing as they should be in nature. It is sad to see plants in gardens which were removed from nature where they belonged (those that survived the transplant). It is not just the plants that are gone, but also the little insect pollinators, etc. that once was part of their life cycle. Most Encephalartos are fantastic low maintenance, drought tolerant feature plants which are excellent for landscaping. The good news is that there are fortunately there are nurseries legally propagating these plants and making them available for everyone to enjoy!



See more amazing cycad photos here
http://www.capeflora.com/modules/myalbum/viewcat.php?cid=10

Credits:
Professor Nat Grobbler

Email us for prices
sales@capeflora.com

We are now exporting Cycads worldwide. Request our price list now.

Cycads are well represented in South Africa by over 30 species in the Genera of Encephalartos and Stangeria. They are known as "Living Fossils" and go back millions of years. Their habitat varies from arid semi-desert to sub-tropical forest regions.

Cycad plants are supplied both as seedlings and as offsets. Many of the rarer varieties are available as offsets from collections which we purchase. Cycads are sent to our customers by air-freight or parcel post. They are listed as endangered species and so require Cites documentation which we arrange on behalf of the customer.

Cycads make excellent feature plants in the garden as well as ideal container-plants, and are easy to grow. Varieties which are more cold-hardy as well as warmer-growing species are available.

Most people are aware that Cycads are endangered species and trade in specimen plants is prohibited except to Botanical Institutions. Professional Commercial Nurseries may only deal in seed-grown or garden-propagated plants (usually with caudexes less than 15cm in diameter). We are fully aware of this at Cape Flora and all our plants carry official Cites permits. We most certainly do not deal in field-collected plants. We enjoy a large clientele who are happy to purchase seed-grown or artificially-propagated plants and as such help to conserve the plants in their natural environment. We have many customers who testify that their cycads are flourishing far from sunny South Africa! Many of our cycad plants have been produced from our artificially-garden-pollinated stock plants in the Nursery garden, thus there is no need to rely on plants in the wild.

Please ask us for a Cycad plant list.

Note: Due to new South African Government Legislations, Cycad-offsets and seeds are only available to South African Customers.



See our Cycad pictures here
http://www.capeflora.com/modules/myalbum/viewcat.php?cid=10

TO ALL OUR PREVIOUS CYCAD CUSTOMERS:
We are please to announce that we are once again able to assist you with your Cycad purchases. We are now an exclusive Agent for the Selling of Cycads in South Africa!
Looking forward to hearing from you soon!!


SPECIAL OFFER !!!!!
STRELITZIA REGINAE SEED: We offer 50kg Strelitzia reginae seed at $93 per kg (R632.50 per kg)!! For quqantities less than 50kg, the price is $100 per kg R680 per kg !! LIMITED STOCK!!

STRELITZIA JUNCEA (SWORD-LEAF STRELITZIA)
We offer 1 000 seeds at R2.00 per seed!!

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Order soon, as these stocks will move fast!!