A primitive seed plant with a thick, unbranched trunk crowned by large, pinnately compound leaves, resembling palms but actually related to conifers. Cycads are gymnosperms that reproduce through large cones and are often called living fossils.
From Greek 'kykas', a name used by ancient Greek botanist Theophrastus for a palm-like plant, later applied to these similar-looking plants. The term was adopted in modern taxonomy when the distinction between cycads and palms became clear.
Cycads are botanical time travelers that partied with dinosaurs and are still using the same party tricks today! They're so ancient that they rely on beetles for pollination, a relationship that evolved before bees even existed, and some species can live over 1,000 years.
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