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In the Gardens

King Sago Palm

Cycas revoluta

Bloom time

All year round.

Characteristics

The King Sago Palm looks like a crossbreed between a fern and a palm but only grows up to 3 m (10‘) tall. The trunk is sturdy and scaly. The fronds reach a length of about 2 m (6,6‘). In the centre of the crown are growing the plant’s brown blooms: female specimens develop a woolly hemisphere, males a cone.

Site:

On Madeira you will find the King Sago Palm in various gardens, mainly in regions at an altitude of 300-600 m (330-655 yd.). An impressing collection of Cycas, including a variety of other species than the King Sago Palm, is to be found in the Jardim Tropical Monte Palace(192).

Interesting to know:

Cycas are very old representatives of flowering plants. They already existed in the days of the dinosaurs, approx. 200 million years ago and thus are frequently referred to as “living fossils”. Today the majority of the 185 known species is threatened with extinction. The King Sago Palm, native to South-East Asia, is especially resistant and can even be grown in Mediterranean regions. Younger specimens are popular as houseplants. All Cycas are toxic. The seed of the King Sago Palm only becomes edible by roasting or drying it.

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