tallest Cycad I have ever seen

[Eric in Orlando]

This Queen Sago, Cycas rumphii, is just about the tallest cycad I have ever seen in person. It is nearly 20ft tall and is growing at Disney in the Adventureland area. The tall trunk on the far right is a Phoenix canariensis x sylvestris.

[DALION]

Here is one with Jody Haynes that I saw some time ago. I think this might be the tallest anyone has seen. Do you see Jody standing way down below the crown? So maybe 30 plus feet?

[edbrown_III]

I am hoping this thread gets real interesting !

[FNQ Marcus]

A little quote from the Wet tropics gov. site -

"....an endemic cycad of the Wet Tropics and this species may actually be the world's tallest cycad, having been recorded at up to 20m (65 feet). This is Hope's Cycad (Lepidozamia hopei) and a marvelous, mature specimen can be seen shortly after beginning the left hand section of the Blue Arrow track on Mt. Whitfield in Cairns. "

I've seen very tall ones of these, but never took a photo because you can't clearly see them in all the other vegetation.

Does anyone have a pic of a 65 footer?

[tropicbreeze]

Yes, the Lepidozamia hopei is a spectacular cycad. I haven't seen the full sized ones. Although probably walked past some. They get hidden in the canopy and if you don't notice the trunk you wouldn't know.

Other tall ones, there's a Cycas armstrongii out bush a couple kilometres from my place which I've measured to 9 metres. Also seen a number of C. conferta close to that size (but a couple of hundred kilometres from my place). And C. angulata only to about 6 to 7 metres tall, although they get a lot taller than that.

Kurt from Cairns has posted some photos of L. hopei on this site before. One large one had fallen at his place (in the Daintree) and kept growing. So it made for easy measurement and photo. I've got several 2 to 3 leaf ones at home so not expecting they'll be breaking any height records for a couple of hundred years yet.

Must walk some of those Mt Whitfield tracks next time I'm in Cairns. End up spending all my time in the Flecker Gardens and get no further.

[Daryl]

Here's an old thread with some tall hopeiis in it...

FNQ

[Mr Cycad]

Yea not bad Eric. There are a few Cycas like that over here too. This one looks more manicured though (they are covered in offsets up here).

But indeed, they don't compare to the Lepidozamia like Zig & Marcus have pointed out.

I've measured one on the block next door to me, as Zig says (which most of you all have no doubt seen), right on the boundary of my place that is 16.2 metres long, or just over 53 feet.

Sorry to hijack the thread!

I reckon I've seen a few bigger up in the valleys and mountains around Cape Tribulation also (Noah's Valley & Mount Sorrow), but its so hard to tell really.

I'd love to go exploring through the jungles of the Congo one day - I reckon E. laurentianus would be right up there too.

[Eric in Orlando]

Here is one with Jody Haynes that I saw some time ago. I think this might be the tallest anyone has seen. Do you see Jody standing way down below the crown? So maybe 30 plus feet?

Which Dioon is that? It has to be several centuries old !!!

[virtualpalm]

Eric, the plant in my photo (posted by Dalion who has it incorrectly labeled as Dioon spinulosum) is D. mejiae in habitat in Honduras. This was actually one of a half dozen huge plants in this population. None of the other 20+ populations we visited had them quite this large. We estimated its age at 1,200 years based on survey data that we obtained from interviewing dozens of people who had plants growing in their dooryard gardens in various villages throughout interior Honduras. In case you (or anyone) is interested, below is the emended description that we published on this species based on our extensive field work:

http://www.cycadcons...description.pdf

And here is an online presentation of the cycads that I have seen in habitat containing some other pretty large plants:

http://www.cycad.org...I-Have-Seen.pdf

Jody

Edited May 17, 2012 by virtualpalm

[Really full garden]

This Queen Sago, Cycas rumphii, is just about the tallest cycad I have ever seen in person. It is nearly 20ft tall and is growing at Disney in the Adventureland area. The tall trunk on the far right is a Phoenix canariensis x sylvestris.

Eric, do you know if Disney does anything to keep these cycas free from Asian Cycad Scale?

[edbrown_III]

Eric,

I dont get down to Melbourne Like I used to ... there used to be some large specimens of Lepidozamia hopei and peroffskyanna at the Dent Smth trail at FIT --- are they still around ?

Best regards

Ed

[Eric in Orlando]

This Queen Sago, Cycas rumphii, is just about the tallest cycad I have ever seen in person. It is nearly 20ft tall and is growing at Disney in the Adventureland area. The tall trunk on the far right is a Phoenix canariensis x sylvestris.

Eric, do you know if Disney does anything to keep these cycas free from Asian Cycad Scale?

Disney has a regular schedule treating all the Cycas on property with systemics, so I've heard.

[Eric in Orlando]

Eric,

I dont get down to Melbourne Like I used to ... there used to be some large specimens of Lepidozamia hopei and peroffskyanna at the Dent Smth trail at FIT --- are they still around ?

Best regards

Ed

I can't remember seeing any large specimens.

[edbrown_III]

Eric,

Much obliged probably gone --- on the subject of cycads the biggest ones I saw were at the Mojadii reserve in Transvaal--- I am trying to find some phots but I viisted in 1991 so I am going through boxes

Here is one I found but no closeups

[Dave-Vero]

Eric, you remind me that I have a cute little Lepidozamia peroffskyana in a pot that needs a prime location. It looks like they grow tall, but that doesn't necessarily mean fast. A grad student at the University of Florida is finding evidence that our cabbage palms, Sabal palmetto, are such slow growers that the tree you transplant into your yard may be a century old. Anyhow, the L. peroffskyana page at PACSOA is envy-inducing.

[virtualpalm]

Eric,

Much obliged probably gone --- on the subject of cycads the biggest ones I saw were at the Mojadii reserve in Transvaal--- I am trying to find some phots but I viisted in 1991 so I am going through boxes

Here is one I found but no closeups

I was there in 2006, Ed. The cycads were mesmerizing. I have a couple photos from there in my "Cycads I Have Seen" online slideshow:

http://www.cycad.org/documents/The-Cycads-I-Have-Seen.pdf

Jody

[edric]

Very nice Eric, I have to spray the C. revoluta at my Moms and sisters house three or four times a year with Neem oil to keep the Asian scale away or it's real bad, Ed

[Eric in Orlando]

Eric,

I dont get down to Melbourne Like I used to ... there used to be some large specimens of Lepidozamia hopei and peroffskyanna at the Dent Smth trail at FIT --- are they still around ?

Best regards

Ed

Ed, looked through my photos. I was last there at the spring plant sale in March 2011. I did see one Lepidozamia peroffskyana there;

[edbrown_III]

Eric

That s it thanks for sharing.

Best wishes

Ed