Cycas thouarsii
| Cycas thouarsii Madagascar cycad | |
|---|---|
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Division: | Cycadophyta |
| Class: | Cycadopsida |
| Order: | Cycadales |
| Family: | Cycadaceae |
| Genus: | Cycas |
| Species: | C. thouarsii |
| Binomial name | |
| Cycas thouarsii R. Br. | |
The Madagascar cycad (Cycas thouarsii) is an evergreen arborescent plant in the genus Cycas. It is named after a French botanist Louis-Marie Aubert du Petit-Thouars (1758—1831).
Description
The arborescent stem is up to 4 meters tall.[1] The leaves are dark-green, semi-glossy, usually 150—210 centimeters long. Pollen cone is a fusiform varying in color from orange to brown (pale). Yellow-tomentose megasporophylls are 29—32 centimeters long. The seeds are ovoid, 50—60 millimeters in size. Sarcotesta is orange-brown.
Habitat and ecology
Habitat countries include: the Comoros Islands, Kenya, Madagascar, Mayotte, Mozambique, the Seychelles and Tanzania.[2] The tree grows 200 meters above sea level in light forests and their borders or near the coastal sites. The plant is quite rare both as an individual and in group communities. The amount of precipitations varies from 1000 to 3000 millimeters a year. As a rule the tree grows on sand or coral formations.
Conservation status
There is no considerable threat to this species, though the plant was damaged greatly by collectors, by the growth of the seaside resorts and after agriculture development. Probably the plant can be also found in Saadani National Park of Tanzania.