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The Sago Palm
has become a very popular landscape item.
But most people don’t realize
that it is not a palm at all, but rather a Cycad,
a totally different type of plant. Cycads are a group of
plants that are very primitive in their origins. Fossils have been
found on almost every continent on the planet. It is often stated that
cycads have evolved little since the days of the dinosaurs. There are
species that have gone extinct, while there are others that seemed to
show little evolution over millions of years. Therefore as a group,
cycads are often referred to as “living fossils”. The scientific name
for the Sago Palm is Cycas
revoluta. Cycas refers to the genus, the genus refers
to a particular group of similar plants in the Cycad family and revoluta further describes the exact species
of the group Cycas. The latter was given to this species because of the
revolute (to curl back) nature of the leaflets; the edges roll under the leaflet.
The Sago Palm is the most propagated and sold cycad in the world. It is
seen in almost all botanical gardens, in temperate and tropical locations
and in many areas of the world it is heavily promoted commercially as a
landscape plant. Unfortunately, its common name "Sago Palm" has obscured the fact that
it is actually a cycad. Other names for this species include
the sago palm tree, the king sago, and, because of unfamiliarity with it,
the palm cycad.
Description Of The Sago Palm
Sago Palms have erect, sturdy trunks that are typically about one to two
feet in diameter, sometimes wider and can grow into very old specimens
with twenty feet of trunk. The leaves are a dark olive green and about
three to four feet long when the plants are of a reproductive age. They
can be longer if not grown in full sun. Trunks can branch multiple times,
thus producing multiple heads of leaves. The trunks are rough and retain
the old leaf bases of previous leaves. It is also the norm that plants
will produce basal offsets or “suckers” at the base of the main trunk.
Thus one gets a cluster of many plants and trunks with time. The petiole
or stems of Cycas revoluta have small protective barbs or hooks that one
must avoid during pruning. An older plant with a well-established trunk
will have foliage overhead. Younger plants look like a rosette of leaves
coming from a stem near the ground.
Reproduction Of The Sago Palm
Propagation of sago palms is either by seed or by removal of basal
offsets. Offsets typically occur at ground level next to the main stem.
Suckers also can actually occur above the ground on the trunk. Please read
below for information on removal and propagation of suckers.
As with other cycads, the Sago Palm has either male or female cones (the
reproductive part of a cycad). Male cones protrude and are shaped like a
cone or torpedo, whereas females are "cabbage" shaped and are gold or tan-yellow
in color. The female cone will slowly open up when receptive to pollen.
A female plant cannot produce
viable, fertile seed unless it is pollinated. In the wild this can occur
by wind dispersion of male pollen but it is believed that most of the
pollination is done by native insects. However, it is quite common for an
isolated female plant to produce unfertile seeds that appear to be
"good".
They will have the traditional red colored fruit but lack an inner embryo
and will not germinate. Pollination of a receptive female cone can be done
naturally by insects or artificially by man. After fertile seeds are
collected, they usually need several months of storage before the inner
embryo is ready to germinate. Therefore, it is best to clean the seeds of
external fruit and set them aside before attempting to propagate the
seeds.
Growing Sago Palms
Growing of Cycas revoluta is not difficult if simple rules are followed.
First, do give ample root depth by picking a pot or container that is
deep. By this I mean preferably a pot 16 inches deep or more (a
smaller container can be used when the plant is small). It is quicker and
easier to grow Cycas revoluta in the ground as opposed to a container. In
general, Sago Palms need sun to grow well. In coastal areas, it is best to
plant them in full sun. In more interior locations or desert localities,
they still prefer good sun or at least part day sun. Growing the Sago Palm
in the shade typically gives one lanky, stretched-out leaves that are
weak. If in too much shade, this species can actually just stall and do
nothing (such as refusing to throw any new leaves).
The Sago Palm can be grown inside
the house near a bright window. Like other cycads, they do not want to be
over-watered. Let the soil dry out a bit before watering. Try to avoid overhead watering;
this
may cause rot and possibly total decay of the plant. The soil mix
should be quick draining. The plants are quite cold hardy and can tolerate
temperatures below 20° F. Overall, it is an available species that
is quite versatile and easy to grow. It is usually free from pests but can
occasionally get into problems with scale or mealybug, which should be
treated. Fertilizing with a balanced tropical fertilizer with
microelements will usually suffice. Sagos typically throw
a new set of leaves during the Spring or Summer.
Because the Sago Palm is grown so much commercially, it is not in any way
threatened by extinction. First discovered in the late 1700’s, it is
native to various areas of Southern Japan, it natively experiences mild to
somewhat cold temperatures. It is commonly used as a potted plant and the
size can be stunted if not given ample root room. For this reason, it is
quite popular as a bonsai plant. It is not unusual to hear of potted
specimens that are hundreds of years old. In general, the Sago Palm does
much better and grows more quickly when planted in the ground. It prefers
sandy, well draining soil. For more information on sago palm care
and "cycad babies" and how to remove them, go to page 2 below.
(Continued
on next page,
FAQ'S About The Sago Palm)
Return
to Cycads
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Old specimens of
Sago Palms, (Cycas revoluta).
(click photo to enlarge)
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Picture
1. Cycas
revoluta with leafed out pups.
(click photo to enlarge)
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Picture
2. Cycas
revoluta with leafed out pups, close-up.
(click photo to enlarge)
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Cycas
revoluta, specimen with male cone.
(click photo to enlarge)
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Throw of
new leaves
(click photo to enlarge)
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Cycas
revoluta grown in a pot.
(click photo to enlarge)
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