Tropical and subtropical seed-bearing plants with a thick trunk and a crown of large, stiff, fern-like leaves, mostly prehistoric species.
From Greek 'kykad,' possibly derived from 'kyklos' (circle), referencing the circular arrangement of their fronds. The word entered English through scientific taxonomy in the 18th century.
Cycads predate flowers by over 100 million years and survived the asteroid that killed dinosaurs—they're nature's ultimate survivors, with some individual plants living for over 1,000 years!
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