Cycas Revoluta - Ancient & Modern
(page 2)
Appearance
A picture paints a thousand words and I trust the
accompanying photographs give you a clear impression of the appearance
of this attractive plant. What the illustration cannot convey, to
those who are not familiar with the species, is the hardness of
the leaves. Almost as though they are made from a tough plastic,
truly 'moulded' by the harsh conditions experienced in habitat.
For all this toughness, the individual leaflets are quite susceptible
to damage. Should they be accidentally 'bent' the one vein supplying
the leaflet with moisture will be broken and the leaflet dies, changing
colour from a lovely dark green to straw yellow. Too much rough
treatment can therefore result in an unsightly plant, as the leaves
themselves may persist for many years. Normally, however, if you
have a plant that has many damaged leaves, you can cut them all
off cleanly, (in spring would be best), and this usually results
in a new flush of fronds being produced in response to the harsh
treatment, in a very short space of time.
New leaves are very soft and emerge from the crown
of the plant. In young specimens they are often only produced in
small numbers but once older and more settled a new 'flush' of 30
or more leaves is more normal. These unfurl quite rapidly and the
plant benefits from extra moisture and feeding during this period.
Until they have fully unfurled and 'hardened off' they remain extremely
delicate and easily damaged. Additionally, if a plant producing
new fronds is moved at this time the leaflets twist out of shape
resuIting in a plant of poor appearance. New growth does not occur
every year in most individuals and it is common for them to retain
older leaves for some years,which often fade in colour. To make
up for this, when new growth does occur, it is often accompanied
by a significant addition to stem height and girth, resulting in
an noticeably larger plant. lt is actually from the rolled, or revolute,
margins to the leaflets, unique among Cycads, that this species
gets its name.
The trunk itself is very starchy inside and covered
in the dead leaf bases on its outer surface. The stem apex is often
very woolly in appearance with a number of sharp bracts, almost
as protection for the tender growing point below. Young plants have
a small candex' which gradually increases as the plant grows to
form the tubby trunks of more mature plants. Some plants in cultivation
have stems over 3m tall, though this is rare. Plants produce suckers
at the base and offsets along the trunk, sometimes prolifically,
and these often give the plant the appearance of a clump. Branching
is very rare, resulting perhaps from damage to the growth point
at some stage.
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