Cycads
Presenter: Kim Syrus
Cycads are one of the most ancient of all plants. Growing over 200 million years ago, well before the dinosaurs, they once covered the earth and have been found in fossils on every continent. They are true survivors and with home gardeners looking for tough plants, a cycad is well worth considering.
The long evergreen fronds on a cycad are not like the fronds on a palm or fern they are very stiff and in many cases have sharp barbs on the end. Natal Cycad or Thousand Hills Cycad (Encephalartos natalensis) has extremely sharp spines designed to stop roaming animals from eating it and also offering bird’s shelter and protection.
The Bread Tree Cycad (Encephalartos altensteinii) is a very ornamental garden plant. Long-lived, it was named the Bread Tree because the pith from the stem can be baked and eaten. The unusual blue grey foliage of the Encephalartos Trispinosus creates a wonderful colour contrast.
One plant that is fast becoming a hot landscaping item is the Sago Palm (Cycas revoluta). Now Kim knows it is called a palm, but it really is a cycad.
Its fine glossy foliage and dense habit make it an ideal choice for the garden and landscape alike. In fact, the new North Terrace precinct in Adelaide has hundreds of Sago palms planted in large massed beds, creating a fantastic effect.
Cycads are unusual, in being dioecious, which means they have separate male and female plants. The males grow long spikes that produce pollen while the females have large cabbage like growths at the base of the plant. Insects and wind help spread the pollen and fertilize the plants. Each female cycad produces masses of fertile seeds that fall off when ripe.
Cycads are very easy to grow they love full sun, well drained soil and plenty of feed along with regular deep soaks, just avoid watering overhead because it can cause rotting.
Choosing the right cycad for your garden is essential, first find out how big it will grow because putting in the wrong one could cause real problems.
Cycads look beautifully lush but are incredibly tough and are ideal for the low-maintenance garden. So if you are looking for a versatile plant for your yard, then you can’t go past one of the plant world’s great survivors
Cycads are one of the most ancient of all plants. Growing over 200 million years ago, well before the dinosaurs, they once covered the earth and have been found in fossils on every continent. They are true survivors and with home gardeners looking for tough plants, a cycad is well worth considering.
The long evergreen fronds on a cycad are not like the fronds on a palm or fern they are very stiff and in many cases have sharp barbs on the end. Natal Cycad or Thousand Hills Cycad (Encephalartos natalensis) has extremely sharp spines designed to stop roaming animals from eating it and also offering bird’s shelter and protection.
The Bread Tree Cycad (Encephalartos altensteinii) is a very ornamental garden plant. Long-lived, it was named the Bread Tree because the pith from the stem can be baked and eaten. The unusual blue grey foliage of the Encephalartos Trispinosus creates a wonderful colour contrast.
One plant that is fast becoming a hot landscaping item is the Sago Palm (Cycas revoluta). Now Kim knows it is called a palm, but it really is a cycad.
Its fine glossy foliage and dense habit make it an ideal choice for the garden and landscape alike. In fact, the new North Terrace precinct in Adelaide has hundreds of Sago palms planted in large massed beds, creating a fantastic effect.
Cycads are unusual, in being dioecious, which means they have separate male and female plants. The males grow long spikes that produce pollen while the females have large cabbage like growths at the base of the plant. Insects and wind help spread the pollen and fertilize the plants. Each female cycad produces masses of fertile seeds that fall off when ripe.
Cycads are very easy to grow they love full sun, well drained soil and plenty of feed along with regular deep soaks, just avoid watering overhead because it can cause rotting.
Choosing the right cycad for your garden is essential, first find out how big it will grow because putting in the wrong one could cause real problems.
Cycads look beautifully lush but are incredibly tough and are ideal for the low-maintenance garden. So if you are looking for a versatile plant for your yard, then you can’t go past one of the plant world’s great survivors
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