CYCAS
CYCAS
- Cycas are one of the most ancient plants whose fossils date to the Jurassic period and are often referred to as “living fossils”.
- According to scientists, Cycas evolved on the earth as the first seeded plants and they grow very slowly, adding only a few centimetres every year.
- Nearly 65% of Cycas are threatened but what makes the flora unique is that despite being a contemporary of the dinosaur, the genus continues to thrive.
- There are over 100 species of Cycas found across the globe.
Cycas dharmrajii
- Cycas dharmrajii is characterised by the abnormal branching habit of its giant trunk and its swollen base.
- What makes the Cycas dharmrajii distinct from other Cycas found in the country is the well-defined 10 to 28 hook-like structures in the apex of the mega sporophyll (sporophyll are spore-bearing leaf-like female sex organ of the plant).
Cycas pschannae
- The sporophylls of Cycas pschannae are characterised by the presence of two lateral horn-like structures.
Section : Environment & Ecology
