Cycads - deadly dinosaur food

In The Glasshouse, cycads are grown for their elegant, graceful shapes. They add structure to the softer planting and have a primeval appearance. Look for examples of cycads in the Dry and Moist Temperate Zones.

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.

Plant collecting and rainforest clearance for coffee plantations have destroyed many natural cycad populations and they are now protected by CITES *. If you want to buy a cycad, make sure it comes from cultivated stock.

(* Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species)

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