Cycads are grown in Malta as garden plants.Cycads are grown in Malta as garden plants.

Cycads are small to large plants which are often mistaken for palms or ferns. A typical cycad is characterised by a thick wooden trunk and a crown of hard leaves at the top. Their size can vary from a few centimetres to several metres high. They grow very slowly and live long. Some specimens may reach 1,000 years.

Cycads are found mostly in tropical and subtropical parts of the world and can be found in a wide diversity of habitats ranging from semi-desert to rainforests.

These plants were very common during the Jurassic period and have changed very little since then.

Two-hundred-and-ninety-seven species of cycad are known. Of these, 155 (53 per cent) are endangered or critically endangered with some being in imminent danger of extinction. Some species are destined to become extinct and nothing much can be done to save them.

Other species are facing extinction because of human activities including illegal trade and habitat destruction. Climate change might also be having an impact on some of the endangered species.

These plants are toxic but some species are an important part of the diet of several groups of people

Cycads are either male or female. They are pollinated by insects, in many species by beetles. These plants are toxic but some species are an important part of the diet of several groups of people. To avoid poisoning these treat the plant to remove the poison. Some Aborigines of southern Australia roast the seeds and then rinse them in water to detoxify them.

Cycads are grown in Malta as garden plants. They can be found in public and private gardens and sometimes in public areas. The most common species is known as the sago cycad or as it is often erroneously called the sago palm.

The sago cycad is native to southern Japan where it is used for the production of sago, a starchy food.

The sago cycad can grow up to six or seven metres high but as it is very slow growing, it takes from 50 to a 100 years to achieve this height.

Other species of cycad are grown in Maltese public gardens, such as at San Anton as well as in private gardens.

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