Cycadaceae
Cycadaceae Pers., Syn. Pl. 2: 630. 1807. nom. cons.
Characteristic Features:
Plants dioecious, non-resinous, palm like trees with unbranched stem clothed in leaf-bases. Some are perennial herbs.
Leaves in apical cluster, large, thick, coriaceous, pinnately compound, evergreen, circinate when young, pinnae with prominent mid-vein but no lateral veins.
Microsporophylls wedge-shaped, spirally arranged in terminal compact strobilus, microsporangia born on abaxial surface.
Ovules born along margin on leaf like megasporophylls arranged in terminal cluster.
Seeds large, bright orange or red, fleshy.
Diversity
World: 1 genus, 107 species (Christenhusz & Byng 2016); 1 genus, 100 species (Mabberley 2017); 1 genus, 119 species (POWO 2021); 1 genus, 117 species (Roskov et al. 2021); 1 genus, 88 species (The Gymnosperm Database); 1 genus, 120 species (The World List of Cycads).
India: 1 genus, 8 species (Lindstrom & Hill 2007); 1 genus, 13 species (Singh & Srivastava 2013; Singh & Khuraijam 2019; BSI 2021)
Uttarakhand: 1 genus, 1 species (Uniyal et al. 2007); 1 genus, 1 species (Tewari et al. 2010). All cultivated species.
Systematic Position of Family in Different Systems of Classification
Sporne 1974
Gymnosperms
Class- Cycadopsida
Order- Cycadales
Family- Cycadaceae
Cantino et al. 2007
[Phylogenetic and Rankless classification]
Tracheophyta
Euphyllophyta
Lignophyta
Apo-Spermatophyta
Spermatophyta
Acrogymnospermae
Cycadophyta
Christenhusz et al. 2011
Class- Equisetopsida
Subclass- Cycadidae
Order- Cycadales
Family- Cycadaceae
Mabberley 2017
Gymnosperms
Subclass- Cycadidae
Order- Cycadales
Family- Cycadaceae
Simpson 2019
[Phylogenetic and Rankless classification]
Gymnospermae (Acrogymnospermae)
Cycadophyta
Cycadaceae
The Gymnosperm Database (Earle 1997-2021)
Gymnosperms
Subclass- Cycadidae
Order- Cycadales
Family- Cycadaceae
Systematic Position in 2-Super kingdom 7-Kingdom Classification of Ruggiero et al. (2015)
Super Kingdom- Eukaryota, Kingdom- Plantae, Subkingdom- Viridiplantae, Infrakingdom- Streptophyta, Superphylum- Embryophyta, Phylum- Tracheophyta, Subphylum- Spermatophytina, Superclass- Gymnospermae, Class- Cycadopsida, Subclass- Cyacadidae, Order- Cycadales
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Cycas circinalis L.
Vernacular name: Queen sago, False sago, Fern palm, Cycas
Nativity: South India (POWO, 2019)
Common Characteristics: Palm like tree. Leaves 100-200 cm long with short spine near the base of petiole, leaves pinnately divided, Fruits are ovoid with thin covering.
Flowering period: Throughout the year
Propagation Methods: Propagated by seeds, bulbils, rhizomes (Dave’s Garden)
Photographed @ Garden Section
Cycas revoluta Thunb.
Vernacular name: Sago Cycad, King Sago Palm, Sago Palm, Japanese sago palm
Nativity:Japan and adjacent Nansei-shoto (POWO, 2019)
Common Characteristics: Dwarf tree with simple trunk. Trunk covered with old persisting leaf bases, leaflets recurved or having revolute edges, basal leaflets become more like spines.
Flowering period: Throughout the year
Propagation Methods: Propagated by bulbils and from seed (Dave’s Garden)
Photographed @ Garden Section