Cycas

A Dictionary of Plant Sciences | 1998 | 549 words | Copyright

Cycas (family Cycadaceae) A genus of stout trees which differ from other Cycadaceae in that the female plants do not bear cones, but carry ovules (and seeds) on massive, terminal, leaf-like sporophylls, which is a primitive feature. There is a terminal crown of long, finely pinnate leaves, in which the leaflets are flat. They are dioecious. A few yield edible starch (sago) from the central pith, nowadays used only as a famine food. There are 16–20 species, occurring from Madagascar and tropical Asia to the Pacific islands and Australia.

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MICHAEL ALLABY. "Cycas." A Dictionary of Plant Sciences. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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MICHAEL ALLABY. "Cycas." A Dictionary of Plant Sciences. 1998. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O7-Cycas.html

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