|
 This
geologically ancient genus of cycads has about 15 species from
Australia, Southeast Asia, Madagascar and east Africa, as well as
many of the islands in between, and out into the Pacific. They are
palm-like plants with pinnate fronds spreading from the top of a
thick trunk that is packed with starchy tissue; male and female
organs are on different plants, the male in long, narrow cones
terminating the stem, the female on the margins of furry, leaf-like
organs that ring the trunk apex and may eventually hang in a skirt
below the trunk apex, as the hard, egg-like seeds mature. Trunk
growth is normally very slow, so large specimens are prized and
fetch high prices from collectors and landscape contractors.
Hardiness zone from 9 To 12
Plant Spread From approx. 400 To 600 cm
Plant Height From approx. 180 To 500 cm
Cultivation: They like sunny positions but with some shade in the
younger stages, and deep, well-drained soil. Propagation is from
seed, detached offsets, or by cutting off a whole trunk and plunging
the base in a trench filled with gravel and organic matter. |
