Definition of cycad
:any of an order (Cycadales) of dioecious cycadophytes that flourished especially during the Jurassic and are represented by four surviving families of palmlike tropical plants
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Imagine a landscape where redwood-like metasequoias towered over the hills; slim alder-like trees, ginkgos and vines dwelled at the forest margins; and lush ferns, cycads and horsetails packed the swamps.
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White cycad scale is one of these that seems to sneak into the plantings to quickly cover trunks, leaves and inflorescence of the sagos to cause their decline.
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A cycad, sago palm (Cycas revoluta) is not actually related to palms.
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Planted with an assortment of exotic palms, tropical cycads, bromiliads with stiff spiny leaves and dozens of succulents, the garden sits on a half-acre of terraced grounds with the Bluebird Canyon stream running through its center.
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Did You Know?
A cycad is a tropical palmlike evergreen plant. Cycads flourished especially during the Jurassic and are represented by four surviving families. Cycads have crowns of large, feathery compound leaves and cones at the ends of their branches. Some have tall, unbranched trunks; others have partially buried stems with swollen trunks. Slow-growing cycads are used as ornamental conservatory plants, but some survive outdoors in temperate regions. The stems of some cycads yield starch that is edible if thoroughly cooked. The young leaves and seeds of others also are edible.
Origin and Etymology of cycad
New Latin Cycad-, Cycas, genus name, from Greek kykas, manuscript variant of koïkas, accusative plural of koïx, a kind of palm
CYCAD Defined for Kids
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See words that rhyme with cycad Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about cycad
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