Cycas media - Meet the Plants - National Tropical Botanical Garden Plant Database

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P. Goltra

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Female cone (photo)

Taxonomy:

Cycas media R. Br. (Cycadaceae)

Classification:
Kingdom: Plantae-Plants
Subkingdom: Tracheobionta-Vascular plants

Superdivision: Spermatophyta-Seed plants
Division; Cycadophyta
Class: Cycadopsida
Order: Cycadales
Family: Cycadaceae
Genus: Cycas
Species: media

Description:

This palm tree-like cycad grows to about 6 m tall, and 20 cm in diameter. Its palm-like leaves are 0.7 to 1.8 m long, (made up of leaflets 13-21 cm long) dark green, and very shiny, with spines growing down the center growing on its margins.

Plants in this family are either male or female, producing hairy pollen cones (15-25 cm long) or larger seed cones ( 30 cm across) respectively. The cones on this species can be blue/green or yellow. Seeds form on the seed cones only, and are oblong (4 x 3 cm) and orange-yellow.
(Jones, David L. 2002. Cycads of the World. Smithsonian Institution Press. Washington D.C.)

Geographic Distribution:

Geographic Distribution: These plants are found in Australia on rocky hillsides.
(Jones, David L. 2002. Cycads of the World. Smithsonian Institution Press. Washington D.C.)

Food Uses:

The seeds of C. media were collected by aborigines, To render the seeds edible, they were roasted in coals overnight, ground into flour, and leached with fresh water for a day.

(Jones, David L. 2002. Cycads of the World. Smithsonian Institution Press. Washington D.C.)

Status:

The plant is fairly common, although it is apparently cleared from pasture to prevent cattle from eating its poisonous leaves.

(Whitelock, Loran, M. 2002. The Cycads. Timber Press, Portland OR.)

Species Interconnections and Interdependencies:

This plant is particularly adapted to annual fires. Everything but the trunk and apex will burn off and the plant will quickly produce a new set of leaves.

(Whitelock, Loran, M. 2002. The Cycads. Timber Press, Portland OR.)

(Jones, David L. 2002. Cycads of the World. Smithsonian Institution Press. Washington D.C.)

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