Are Palm Trees Cycads?

Cycads

• About 200 different species of cycad exist. They are actually more closely-related to pine trees than palms. Amazingly, the cycad family has existed since the time of the dinosaurs, while palms didn't appear on the Earth for 150 million more years. Cycads are dioecious, meaning that there are separate male and female plants. Males offer cones full of pollen while female cycads produce seeds for the regeneration of the species.

Cycad Environment

• Cycads are exceptionally well-rounded. Dependent on the species, they can grow in tropical locations or in harsh winter conditions. They often thrive in pure sand or on bare rock, and some can survive with as little as 2 inches of rainfall annually. There are distinct differences in the culture requirements of palms and cycads, and neither should be grown like the other. Of utmost importance for the growth of cycads is well-drained soil. They do not tolerate wet feet.

Warning

• The cycad family -- primarily the Sago palm -- is especially susceptible to attack by the cycad scale (Aulacaspis yasumatsui) an insect native to Asia. This scale has proliferated across the U.S. since the 1990s, and it feeds on the undersides of leaves, causing them to yellow, brown and die. Severe infestations will also see cycads inundated with a white, waxy covering comprised of thousands of dead and living scales per square inch. The cycad scale is typically lethal to a cycad within six to 12 months of initial infestation.

Fun Facts

• Cycads differ from palms in that they provide no flowers or fruit. Some cycads grow as tall as 60 feet, while others mature to less than 1 foot in height. Additionally, cycad stems are thick, but are not made of actual wood; instead, they are fibrous and composed largely of starch. Although the importance of the cycad is now primarily ornamental, Seminole Native-Americans in Florida utilized the plant as a food source, extracting the starch and using it to make a sort of pudding.