Monday, December 29, 2008

Macrozamia moorei

One of the many things I love about cycads (and as you may have picked up if you're a regular reader, I'm a huge fan of the cycads) is the variation. You see almost all cycads work off the same basic body plan - a central caudex (either underground or as an above ground trunk) produces rosettes of leaves. From that same basic plan an amazing diversity of plants arises. This one, Macrozamia moorei is an aussie, and one of the more common aussie cycads at that (at least in horticulture).


macrozamia moorei

Check out the huge leaves and how delicate they look compared to most other cycads. This one really looks primeval to me. I can almost imagine a weird primitive mammal peering out from under its fronds - of course in Australia weird primitive mammals are plentiful so that may explain it......That being said I can just as easily imagine baby dinosaurs trundling out from under those fronds. The seeds on these guys are huge - the size of a small chicken egg. I germinated a batch in our airing cupboard 10 years ago. Those brown things emerging at the base are male cones so no huge eggs sized seeds from this lad.

BTW - I've updated the cycad links page (linked at the top) and will continue to do so. As a result it hints at a few forthcoming attractions.

2 comments:

Julia said...

I've never managed to germinate a cycad yet. I really must try harder. I'd love more cycads (money allowing).

Anonymous said...

Germinating cycads is pretty easy Julia but only if you have viable seed. If not you'll have no success no matter how you try.

In the next couple of years I'm going to get sorted and try to organise some seed for a few batches of cycad seedlings, the results of which may become available to UK cycad fans.