Knowra Cycad Cycad A palm-like seed plant in the gymnosperm order Cycadales, usually with a stout trunk and a crown of large leaves. Cycads reproduce with cones and have a lineage extending back to the age of dinosaurs.
Cycadales : The order of gymnosperms comprising cycads, characterized by stout stems and large compound leaves. This order is the botanical group to which cycads belong.
Cycad pollination : The transfer of pollen to ovules in cycads, often mediated by insects or, in some species, wind. Cycad pollination can involve specialized insects attracted to cones.
Cycadophyte : A lineage of seed plants that includes living cycads and extinct relatives. Cycads are the living representatives of the broader cycadophyte lineage.
Sago palm : The common name for Cycas revoluta, a popular ornamental cycad native to southern Japan. This widely cultivated cycad is often mistaken for a true palm.
Palm : A flowering plant in the family Arecaceae, typically with an unbranched trunk and a crown of large leaves. Cycads resemble palms but belong to gymnosperms, not flowering plants.
Gymnosperm : A seed-producing plant whose seeds are not enclosed within an ovary. Cycads are one of the major living gymnosperm lineages.
Zooidogamy : Fertilization in which motile sperm swim through fluid to reach the egg. Cycads retain swimming sperm, a rare feature among seed plants.
Permian : The geologic period from about 299 to 252 million years ago, preceding the Triassic. Cycad-like seed plants appear in the fossil record around this deep-time interval.
Cycad horticulture : The cultivation of cycads as ornamental plants in gardens, conservatories, and landscapes. Cycads are prized for architectural foliage and tolerance of dry conditions.
Conifer : A gymnosperm lineage that includes pines, firs, spruces, and other cone-bearing trees. Conifers and cycads are distinct gymnosperm groups with different forms and reproductive structures.
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