tall cycads

[Geoff]

I know there are a lots of tall cycads in the world, but to see any this tall in California is unusual. These are probably the tallest Cycas revolutas I have seen (in front of a retirement home in Los Angeles). One behind me has to be 12' tall

[Kailua_Krish]

Wow!

-Krishna

[freakypalmguy]

I second Krishna's "Wow". Those are some giant revoluta.

[tropicbreeze]

Those are large for C. revoluta, and must be quite old. No wonder they're living in a retirement home.

Some Cycas species grow very large. This one, C. conferta, has about 6.25 metres of trunk.

That will give you an idea of the proportions of C. angulata which has an average mature height of 10 metres. There's a great photo of one on the PACSOA site : http://www.pacsoa.or...ycas/index.html.

But the big daddy of all cycads is Lepidozamia hopei which gets to 20 metres. That's about 3.5 times the size of the one in my photo.

[Kumar]

Queen sago at calcutta botanical gardens

[aussiearoids]

There is supposed to be a 30 m tall hopei around here

[Mr Cycad]

Here's a 16 metre 'long' one!

Looking at the apex, which is now growing upright.

Looking back up towards to the apex (you can just make out the massive 3.5m leaves).

Look towards the uprooted base on the left...

The base with a sucker growing out from the top, and another larger one from the ground behind it.

Edited December 3, 2010 by Mr Cycad

[Mr Cycad]

Photo of base and the growing conditions. Note the water table (the bog).

The massive leaflets.

The spent female cone from last year.

Left over seed that haven't been scattered by the wildlife

[Texeltropics]

Here my pictures from my trip with husband and kids to Cannes in the South of France...Also big Cycads..

[tropicbreeze]

So Kurt, how long before mine get to that size, taking into consideration they've germinated but haven't put out a first leaf yet. I assume it will take a little longer to get to the size Michael's talking about.

[aussiearoids]

Several hundred years Zig

cryogenics and clean living may allow you to see yours get big

[FRITO]

Here is a what I estimate to be a 12 footer planted in Quincy, FL in the historic distric in front of old homes.

female C. revoluta

That me - 6'3" tall for scale. the revoluta had recently been trimmed and doesnt get any special care as you can see by the condition it is in.

[Kumar]

'Trim' is an understatement - all the topmost fronds are gone. Is this how they take care of cycads?

[FRITO]

it is in flower and may have had beat up old leaves on the top, probably had cold damge also as it was record cold last year.

Edited December 5, 2010 by FRITO

[tropicbreeze]

That's great Michael, they should reach maximum height about the same time as my Boabs, Adansonia gregorii. Those have only got another 696 years to go to reach maturity.

These are my largest cycads at home. This one has an accurately measured caudex of 2.94 metres. It's a female, produces masses of seed each year.

The larger of these two hasn't been measured but is probably a little taller than the one in the previous photo.

They're Cycas armstrongii. There's one in the bush close to here that I reasonably estimate to be about 9 metres tall. I've been meaning to take a string line out there one day and measure it accurately.

[Palmzilla]

Nice giant cycad pics! I'm a big fan of huge sagos, here is my girl next to a massive clump of sago's at the Huntington Gardens in LA. This is probably the biggest clump of sago's I've ever scene in person! They got to be about 15' or so tall!

[Kumar]

Anyone have photos of E. Laurentianus ? I was searching on the internet for giant cycads and I found a photo oof this one which makes a royal palm look puny in comparison

[virtualpalm]

Great thread. Here is my wife next to the largest sago that I have ever seen in person. It is growing in the ground at the University of Naples Botanical Garden.

Jody

[virtualpalm]

And who can forget the ancient, awe-inspiring, 10-meter-tall Dioon mejiae plants growing in habitat in Olancho, Honduras? This is one of the most impressive things that I have ever seen (cycad or not).

Jody

[Dundo]

My friend near tall Cycas revoluta in Lokrum botanic garden (Dubrovnik, Croatia).

He is approximately 1,80 m tall.

Edited December 14, 2010 by Dundo

[ixigena]

I have got this cycas rumphii when someone who wanted to chopped it down for his house renovation. Approximately 60 years old garden grown.

I got it for free, but the total expenses was around USD20 , to pay digging, transportation and the beers. Now at my palms garden, the back ground is paddy field

Cheers!! Hendriks

Edited December 21, 2010 by ixigena

[Palm Painter]

During Christmas 2010 week, we visited Rustic Canyon Park on the border of Santa Monica and Pacific Palasades. Two ancient Dioon Spinulosums were near the parking lot. I estimate the height to be 30-35 feet. Tall cycads!!

[Palm Painter]

Btw, my daughter Brittany posted this... I am incapable.

[BS Man about Palms]

Btw, my daughter Brittany posted this... I am incapable.

I'm glad I can turn my new laptop sideways and view it! haha

[Kumar]

Tall multiheaded Cycas circinalis in Bombay, appears to be at least 15 feet high

[Stevetoad]

I want that

[Jastin]

I want that

No you don't Steve, you want a Cycas Thouarsii pup

[Kumar]

Another tall pair of C. circinalis, these must be 20+ feet, though not cared for at all. I wonder whether people realize how unique and old some of these tall cycads are. Seeing so many similarly sized circinalis, I suspect these plantings were quite popular in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

[gyuseppe]

Great thread. Here is my wife next to the largest sago that I have ever seen in person. It is growing in the ground at the University of Naples Botanical Garden.

Jody

yes in in my city There are many centenarians Cycas revoluta