cycad

cy·cad

C0833800 (sī′kăd′, -kəd)n. Any of various gymnospermous cone-bearing evergreen plants of the division Cycadophyta, native to warm regions and having large pinnately compound leaves.

[New Latin Cycas, Cycad-, genus name, from Greek kukas, erroneous reading of koïkas, accusative pl. of koïx, doum palm, from Egyptian ḳwḳw, fruit of the doum palm.]

cycad

(ˈsaɪkæd) n (Plants) any tropical or subtropical gymnosperm plant of the phylum Cycadophyta, having an unbranched stem with fernlike leaves crowded at the top. See also sago palm²[C19: from New Latin Cycas name of genus, from Greek kukas, scribe's error for koïkas, from koïx a kind of palm, probably of Egyptian origin] ˌcycaˈdaceous adj

cy•cad

(ˈsaɪ kæd)

n. any of several palmlike gymnospermous trees of the order Cycadales, having a thick trunk, leathery pinnate leaves, and large cones. [1835–45; < New Latin Cycad-, s. of Cycas genus name < Greek kýkas, misspelling of kóïkas, acc. pl. of kóïx kind of palm]

cy·cad

(sī′kăd′) Any of various cone-bearing evergreen plants that live in warm regions, have large feathery leaves, and resemble palm trees.

Thesaurus

Noun

cycad - any tropical gymnosperm of the order Cycadales; having unbranched stems with a crown of fernlike leavesgymnosperm - plants of the class Gymnospermae having seeds not enclosed in an ovaryCycas revoluta, sago palm - dwarf palmlike cycad of Japan that yields sagozamia - any of various cycads of the genus Zamia; among the smallest and most verdant cycadsceratozamia - a small cycad of the genus Ceratozamia having a short scaly woody trunk and fernlike foliage and woody cones; Mexicodioon - any cycad of the genus Dioon; handsome palmlike cycads with robust crowns of leaves and rugged trunksencephalartos - any of numerous cycads of the genus Encephalartos having stout cylindrical trunks and a terminal crown of long often spiny pinnate leavesEncephalartos caffer, kaffir bread - South African cycad; the farinaceous pith of the fruit used as foodmacrozamia - any treelike cycad of the genus Macrozamia having erect trunks and pinnate leaves and large cones with sometimes edible nuts; Australiaburrawong, Macrozamia communis, Macrozamia spiralis - large attractive palmlike evergreen cycad of New South Wales

cycad

(sī`kăd), any plant of the order Cycadales, tropical and subtropical palmlike evergreens. The cycads, ginkgoesginkgo
or maidenhair tree,
tall, slender, picturesque deciduous tree (Ginkgo biloba) with fan-shaped leaves. The ginkgo is native to E China, where it was revered by Buddhist monks and planted near temples.
..... Click the link for more information. , and conifersconifer
[Lat.,=cone-bearing], tree or shrub of the order Coniferales, e.g., the pine, monkey-puzzle tree, cypress, and sequoia. Most conifers bear cones and most are evergreens, though a few, such as the larch, are deciduous.
..... Click the link for more information. comprise the three major orders of gymnosperms, or cone-bearing plants (see conecone
or strobilus
, in botany, reproductive organ of the gymnosperms (the conifers, cycads, and ginkgoes). Like the flower in the angiosperms (flowering plants), the cone is actually a highly modified branch; unlike the flower, it does not have sepals or petals.
..... Click the link for more information. and plantplant,
any organism of the plant kingdom, as opposed to one of the animal kingdom or of the kingdoms Fungi, Protista, or Monera in the five-kingdom system of classification.
..... Click the link for more information. ). The cycads first appeared in the Permian period. They are the most primitive of the living seed-bearing plants and in many ways resemble the fernsfern,
any plant of the division Polypodiophyta. Fern species, numbering several thousand, are found throughout the world but are especially abundant in tropical rain forests. The ferns and their relatives (e.g.
..... Click the link for more information. . Some have tuberous underground stems, with the crown of leathery, glossy, fernlike leaves springing from ground level; others have a columnar stem, usually 6 to 10 ft (1.8–3.1 m) high (though the corcho of Cuba reaches 30 ft/9.1 m), and are often mistaken for palms. There are 11 genera composed of less than 150 species, some found in very restricted areas. Many cycads (e.g., the fern palm of the Old World tropics and the nut palm of Australia) bear poisonous nutlike seeds. The pith of the coontie (Zamia floridana) yields a starch called Florida arrowrootarrowroot,
any plant of the genus Maranta, usually large perennial herbs, of the family Marantaceae, found chiefly in warm, swampy forest habitats of the Americas and sometimes cultivated for their ornamental leaves.
..... Click the link for more information. or sagosago
[Malay], edible starch extracted from the pithlike center of several E Asian palms (chiefly Metroxylon sagu) or sometimes of cycads. The starch is an important item in the diet in some parts of E Asia and is exported for use in foods (e.g.
..... Click the link for more information. ; the coontie is often called sago palm. Cycads are grown as ornamentals in warm regions and in greenhouses. The cycads are classified in the division PinophytaPinophyta
, division of the plant kingdom consisting of those organisms commonly called gymnosperms. The gymnosperms, a group that includes the pine, have stems, roots and leaves, and vascular, or conducting, tissue (xylem and phloem).
..... Click the link for more information. , class Cycadopsida.

cycad

(sī′kad″, kăd) [L. Cycas, a genus name] A variety of palmlike evergreen plants, including Cycas revoluta and C. circinalis, from which cycasin has been isolated.

cycad

any tropical or subtropical GYMNOSPERM of the order Cycadales. Cycads date from the MESOZOIC PERIOD. Present-day forms grow to 20 m in height and have a crown of fern-like leaves. They live for up to a thousand years.

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Words related to cycad

noun any tropical gymnosperm of the order Cycadales

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