Older THAN Dinosaurs
Grow a cycad that harkens back to the Jurassic Period
In the 1700s, countries employed plant hunters to explore the world. Their mission was to bring back exotic plant specimens never before seen. England was at the forefront of countries sponsoring plant hunters, and London’s Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew was one of the first botanical gardens built to house plant hunters’ collections.
Begun in 1759, Kew Gardens holds over 68,000 plants and a herbarium with over 8.5 million preserved plant and fungi specimens. Covering 300 acres, it has the most diverse collection of plants in the world.
During the 1800s, several historic glasshouses were built in the garden to grow collected tropical plants that could not survive London’s cold winters outdoors. One of these glasshouses is the Palm House, built from 1844-1848. It was the first large-scale glass structure in the world, and was constructed of 200 pounds of wrought iron and 16,000 panes of hand-blown glass. Architects employed ship building techniques when building Palm House. In fact, it resembles the upturned hull of a wooden sailing ship.
In 1770, plant hunter, Francis Masson, was commissioned by Sir Joseph Banks, president of the Royal Society in England, to sail with Captain Cook on his second voyage around the world. When Cook landed in South Africa, one of the plants Masson collected was a Jurassic cycad, Encephalartos altensteninii. He potted the plant in a wooden box and tied it to the upper deck of Cook’s sailboat, the Resolution, where it received sunshine and rain water while the explorers continued their voyage.
When Masson returned to London in 1775, the Jurassic cycad was placed in Kew Gardens. Upon completion of the Palm House at Kew Gardens in 1848, it was one of the first plants moved into the greenhouse. When you visit the Palm House, you find a lush rainforest filled with all types of tropical plants. The air is heavy with humidity, and steamy warmth inside the greenhouse keeps the plants happy, even on London’s coldest wintery days.
Rainforests cover only 2% of the earth’s surface but contain up to 50% of its plant species. Scientists at Kew Gardens rely upon the Palm House plant collection for researching new medicines and sustainable crops.
The Jurassic cycad has been named the oldest potted plant in the world and is understandably one of Kew Garden’s most popular tourist attractions. It grows only an inch each year. Presently, it is 14.43 feet tall and leans over, as old age often forces us to do. Metal supports keep it from crashing to the ground.
Cycads, Cycadaceae, are called “living fossils” because they are among the oldest surviving species of plants that once grew so prolifically on earth 250 million years ago. They were very common during the Jurassic Period when mighty dinosaurs roamed the continents. This period of history is often called the “Age of Dinosaurs”. It is also called the “Age of Cycads” because of the huge numbers growing during this time period.
Today, cycads are limited to tropical and subtropical regions of the
world and are no longer a dominant plant. 70% of cycads live in South and Central America, as well as Australia. Some varieties are native to wet rainforests, while others live in semi-desert climates or dry forests. There are over 300 named species with many more waiting to be discovered.
Like their cousins, the redwoods, cycads are gymnosperms (produce cones instead of flowers) but they look more like palms which are angiosperms (produce flowers).
The most popular cycad grown in gardens today is the sago palm, Cycas revoluta, which is native to the tropical islands of southern Japan. It grows well outdoors in warm regions of Florida, California, Georgia, Arizona and Puerto Rico. It is also a popular houseplant.
Like the Jurassic Cycad, a sago palm grows slowly and takes around ten years before new pups (young plants) are produced. Pups can be cut from the palm’s base and replanted elsewhere.
Although a sago palm contains a neurotoxin that is poisonous, indigenous populations once ground its trunk into flour. The flour was soaked to remove the toxins and then dried before using. Sharp, spiky leaves make it difficult for animals or humans to ingest any part of this plant.
A sago palm is dioecious and has separate male and female plants. The center of a male plant holds a golden-colored cone, while a female plant has a round structure that resembles a woven basket. Colorful seeds (red, purple or yellow) are produced inside the female cone. Although all parts of the plant are poisonous, its seeds have the highest concentration of toxins.
A sago palm is easy to care for. Regular watering and sufficient sunlight are all that is needed to grow a healthy plant. Because of Yuma’s hot summers, an outdoor location that receives afternoon shade will prevent its leaves from sun burning.
If grown indoors, use a cactus soil mix or a 50/50 mix of peat moss and sand. You won’t have to repot very often since a sago palm doesn’t mind being root bound. If there are yellow areas on its leaves, fertilize with a palm fertilizer that contains micronutrients. Use as the label directs.
Sago palms do not like to be moved, but if you must relocate one, this should be done in late winter or early spring. Dig the hole twice as wide and the same depth as the plant’s root ball. Place the plant in the hole and fill in with soil dug from the hole.
Although the Age of Dinosaurs is gone, you can still grow a sago palm that harkens back to the Jurassic Period when cycads flourished.
Happy gardening.