Cycads - elegant but deadly
Cycads are found on every continent except Europe and Antarctica. Most come from Africa, Central America and Australia. They grow in habitats ranging from tropical rainforests to very dry areas. A few actually need fires to produce seeds.
The toxic flesh of the coontie (Zamia integrifolia) was used as food by the Seminole people of Florida. To make it safe, the plants were heated, fermented or leached (pounded to a pulp in water). White settlers called the starchy material ‘sago’ or ‘arrowroot’.
Cycads have existed for 300 million years in the same form. Along with the ferns, they give us an idea of what plants looked like when dinosaurs walked the earth.
Although they look like palms, cycads produce seeds from cones, not flowers. They have separate male and female plants.
The seeds take from two months to two years to germinate and the plants grow very slowly. An easier way to grow them is to take suckers from the base of the plant and pot them up. Their elegant looks have made cycads popular garden and conservatory plants.