Cycas calcicola
| Cycas calcicola | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Division: | Cycadophyta |
| Class: | Cycadopsida |
| Order: | Cycadales |
| Family: | Cycadaceae |
| Genus: | Cycas |
| Species: | C. calcicola |
| Binomial name | |
| Cycas calcicola Maconochie | |
Cycas calcicola is a species of cycad in the genus Cycas, native to northern Australia in the northwest of Northern Territory.
The stems are erect, 2-5 m tall and 16-22 cm diameter. The leaves are variably deep green and glabrous to white tomentose above, and persistently white tomentose below, 60-130 cm long, pinnate, with 210-410 leaflets. The leaflets are 5-12 cm long and 2-4 mm wide, and lie flat either side of the leaf stem (not in a 'v'-shape like most other Cycas species). The petioles are 18-30 cm long, and armed with sharp spines at the base.
The female cones are open, with sporophylls 12-18 cm long, with four to six ovules per sporophyll. The lamina is lanceolate, with spined dentate margins and an apical spine. The sarcotesta is orange-brown, the sclerotesta short ovoid to globular, with a network of shallow grooves. The male cones are solitary, narrow ovoid, 25-30 cm long and 5-7 cm diameter, brown, the sporophylls 25-30 mm long with an upturned apical spine.
Habitat
This cycad grows in a hot, dry, climate, often in association with Eucalyptus and Livistona. It was first found on limestone soil, from which the name calcicola "lime-dwelling" derives, but is not confined to limestone, also occurring on soils derived from sandstone and schist.
References
- Cycad Pages: Cycas calcicola
- IUCN Redlist: Cycas calcicola
- Whitelock, L. M. (2002). The Cycads. Timber Press, Portland, Oregon.