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Cycas rumphii
Miq.
Queen-sago
Cycadaceae
Cycas rumphii is a species of tree-sized cycad in the family Cycadaceae. It is native from Borneo and Java in Indonesia to Papua New Guinea. Cycas rumphii is part of a species complex that is the subsection Rumphiae. There are multiple closely related species, and the definition of the species (such as its range and taxonomy) are a bit unclear.
Description
Cycas rumphii is a tree, growing up to around 10 m tall, sometimes branched. Leaves are huge, 1.5 to 2.5 m long, pinnate, on a 30 to 50 cm long leafstalk that is almost entirely armed with spines. Each leaf has 75 to 100 pairs of forward-pointing, leathery, stiff leaflets that are 20 to 28 cm long and 12 to 16 mm wide. Leaves are hairy white or orange when young; leaflets are bent upwards. Male (pollen) cones are large, hairy and pale orange, 35 to 55 cm tall and 10 to 15 cm wide, narrowly ovoid. Seeds are borne on separate trees. Female cones consist of leaf-like structures called sporophylls and several seeds. Sporophylls are 18 to 35 cm long, triangular, with the lamina being 5 to 7.5 cm long and 3 to 4 cm wide, with bumpy or spiny edges and dense gray and orange hairs. Seeds are about 5 cm long, 3.5 to 4.5 cm wide, smooth (Whitelock 2003).
Cycas rumphii is part of a species complex in the subsection Rumphiae. Plants in this species are generally large but extremely variable, characterized by a spongy layer of tissue inside the seeds, which helps the seed float. Among the distinguishing features of Cycas rumphii are leaflets with wide bases, fully spiny petioles, and a narrowly triangular megasporophyll blade with a long spiny tip (Hill 1994; Whitelock 2003).
Cycas rumphii is part of a species complex in the subsection Rumphiae. Plants in this species are generally large but extremely variable, characterized by a spongy layer of tissue inside the seeds, which helps the seed float. Among the distinguishing features of Cycas rumphii are leaflets with wide bases, fully spiny petioles, and a narrowly triangular megasporophyll blade with a long spiny tip (Hill 1994; Whitelock 2003).
Uses
Note: Please see the disclaimer regarding any information about medical or edible uses.
Cycas rumphii is grown in warm climates, growing in USDA zones 9 to 10. It grows best in sandy, well-drained soils, preferring filtered sun to shade (MBG).
Distribution
Cycas rumphii is common in coastal forests and rainforests, at an elevation of 10 to 200 m. It is native from the southern Borneo and northeastern Java to the Maluku Islands to New Guinea (Hill 2010).
Status
Cycas rumphii is listed on the IUCN Red List as "Near Threatened" due to some habitat destruction. It is listed in Appendix II of CITES, an international treaty regulating the trade of endangered species (Hill 2010).
References
Hill, K. D. 2010. Cycas rumphii. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-3.RLTS.T42081A10623127.en.
Hill, K. D. 1994. The Cycas rumphii Complex (Cycadaceae) in New Guinea and the Western Pacific. Australian Systematic Botany 7(6): 543–567.
MBG (Missouri Botanical Garden), Cycas rumphii. Plant Finder. [accessed 2018 Nov 17]. http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=e609
Whitelock, L. M. 2003. The Cycads. Portland: Timber Press.
Hill, K. D. 1994. The Cycas rumphii Complex (Cycadaceae) in New Guinea and the Western Pacific. Australian Systematic Botany 7(6): 543–567.
MBG (Missouri Botanical Garden), Cycas rumphii. Plant Finder. [accessed 2018 Nov 17]. http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=e609
Whitelock, L. M. 2003. The Cycads. Portland: Timber Press.
Description
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