Is this really a cycad?

[azbob]

So my parents bought this "cycad" for R80. I was under the impression that you needed a license for a cycad an that cycads cost in the R1000s. So what is this?

 

[HapticSimian]

It is a cycad - it looks like one of these. I suspect the degree of regulation is species-dependent.

 

[B@rrels]

It could be a cycas which is cheaper than a cycad and does not require a license.

 

[GforceD]

A photo of the foliage doesn't really help need to see body too.
I don't get the whole cycad thing, do most people only want them because most people can't have them. And what if I got one growing natually by it's self in my yard are the cops going come and take it away?

 

[ISP cash cow]

A photo of the foliage doesn't really help need to see body too.
I don't get the whole cycad thing, do most people only want them because most people can't have them. And what if I got one growing natually by it's self in my yard are the cops going come and take it away?

I guess it depends on what folage you will be growing in your back yard

 

[2old4this]

From my albiet limited knowledge on cycads (only have 1 on my property) - as far as I know, main difference between cycads & palms(have about 8) is that while palms have a normal root system; cycads have a kinda bulbous section above the root - and they are actually sold acording to the circumference of this portion - so thicker; you pay more!
Then as someone did point out certain cycads, eg those that grown on & around Table Mountain are classified as "permit requiring" & should only be bought from a nursery!

 

[satanboy]

Looks like the ones sold at Woolworths and most nurseries. I wouldn't worry.

 

[Rosaudio]

Why exactly do you need a license?

 

[Mila]

Let me re phrase that. It is one, but not a African plant. It's called a revoluta and you do not need a permit.

 

[azbob]

When I moved into my new place, the previous owner removed all his cycads. There was one which he didn't remove but it had this cone growing on it. He removed the cone only and that cycad looks to be dying now. From What I've read, those cones are required for reproduction but are they necessary for the plant to survive?

 

[Beachless]

When I moved into my new place, the previous owner removed all his cycads. There was one which he didn't remove but it had this cone growing on it. He removed the cone only and that cycad looks to be dying now. From What I've read, those cones are required for reproduction but are they necessary for the plant to survive?

Nope thats the seed...

 

[Pitbull]

Why exactly do you need a license?

It's a protected plant.

Extinction

The probable former range of cycads can be inferred from their global distribution. For example, the family Stangeriaceae only contains three extant species in Africa and Australia. Diverse fossils of this family have been dated to 135 mya, indicating that diversity may have been much greater before the Jurassic and late Triassic mass extinction events. However, the cycad fossil record is generally poor and little can be deduced about the effects of each mass extinction event on their diversity.

Instead, correlations can be made between the number of extant gymnosperms and angiosperms. It is likely that cycad diversity was affected more by the great angiosperm radiation in the mid-Cretaceous than by extinctions. Very slow cambial growth was first used to define cycads, and because of this characteristic the group could not compete with the rapidly growing, relatively short-lived angiosperms, which now number over 250,000 species, compared to the 947 remaining gymnosperms. It is surprising that the cycads are still extant, having been faced with extreme competition and five major extinctions. The ability of cycads to survive in relatively dry environments where plant diversity is generally lower, and their great longevity, may explain their long persistence.

It depends on what type of Cycad though. The true "Brood Boom" you will not buy for R 80, not ever

 

[xrapidx]

When I moved into my new place, the previous owner removed all his cycads. There was one which he didn't remove but it had this cone growing on it. He removed the cone only and that cycad looks to be dying now. From What I've read, those cones are required for reproduction but are they necessary for the plant to survive?

I had a couple of them in my garden that "died"....my dad, who owns a nursery, told me to just leave them - six months later all four came back to life.

 

[Pitbull]

I might be wrong but I think this is the protected "Brood Boom"

Cycadaceae

 

[HavocXphere]

How does one distinguish between them? We've got a huge one here...not sure whether its the protected type or not.

 

[ToxicBunny]

Honestly, looking at that I would have said its a Cycas and not a Cycad.

I would also go so far as to guess that its PROBABLY a Cycas Revoluta
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cycas_revoluta

Not a "protected" species from what I know.

 

[murraybiscuit]

from that wiki article, it appears that all cycads are cycas x.

 

[ToxicBunny]

Not all...

Thats just one Genus.

From my understanding the genus Encephalartos is the one that is problematic in terms of permits etc...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Encephalartos

 

[Type RSA]

I know these as "Japanese Brood Boom" We also have a lot of them all over the garden

 

[spiderz]

That's a Cycas revoluta. They're quite a common species.
Under a certain size you don't need a permit.
As soon as it gets big, you'll need a permit to sell, and a separate permit to transport it.