African cycas
Cycas thouarsii

Family: Cycadaceae

What it is like

A palm like plant. It grows up to 10 m. It is unbranched. The leaves are 1-3 m long. The leaflets are long and slender and 30 cm long by 1 cm wide. The midrib is yellow and there are no secondary veins. The edge of the leaf does not have teeth but there are some spines near the tip. Male and female cones are on separate trees. The male cones are yellow-orange and 60 cm long by 20 cm wide. The scales are close and wedge shaped. The female cones consist of loose, spirally arranged scales. They are covered with dense woolly hairs. The seeds are almost round and 6 cm long by 5 cm wide. They are brick-red in colour. The plant has a long tap root.

There are about 20-40 Cycas species.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows in a hot humid location. In the Cairns Botanical Gardens. Brisbane Botanical Gardens. It grows in light shade. It is very frost tender. In Townsville palmetum.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Australia, Comoros, East Africa, Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Seychelles, Southern Africa, Tanzania

How it is used for food

Edible parts

Trunk, seeds, fruit, pith

How it is grown

It can be grown from seed. It can be grown from suckers.

It is fast growing.

Its other names

Local names

Mgundi, Mtapo, Mtapu

Synonyms

Cycas circinalis ssp madagascariensis;