JABAROOTOO | 2005-11-16 09:50:29
What are they? They look like short, fat palm trees. They have large divided leaves but coarse in texture, more like palms than ferns. They are unrelated to palms or ferns, which they resemble. They are an ancient lineage, older than the Wollemi Pine. Cycads are known to have lived more than 200 million yrs ago — even before dinosaurs. Most cycads are tropical or subtropical. Their ability to thrive in such varied and often harsh conditions probably explains why they have survived for so many years. They are survivors. Individual cycads are either male or female. Both males and females produce large cones. The male cones particularly produce strong odours, ranging from ‘fruity to disgusting’ according to cycad experts. The smells are to attract insects. The cone also heats up late the day as a further. Most cycads contain toxic compounds within their tissues. Here and in other countries the seeds may be ground into a flour and baked into a bread. |
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