Cycads are a group of plants that have existed on Earth for 250–300 million years. They are often referred to as “living fossil plants.” The reason they are called fossil plants is that fossil specimens dating back millions of years show almost no difference from the living plants found today. Together with Ginkgo biloba and certain conifers, cycads belong to the class of “Gymnosperms” (open-seeded plants), which reproduce by producing cones.

Once widespread throughout much of the world, cycads became restricted mainly to tropical regions as the Earth’s climate cooled, with only a few species remaining in temperate zones. Following the extinction of some species, approximately 310 cycad species exist today. Although cycads now survive in only a limited number of regions, they were widespread across the globe during the Jurassic Period. For this reason, the Jurassic is often referred to as the “Age of Cycads.”

Cycads are generally thick-trunked plants with striking foliage that forms an attractive crown. Individual plants are either male or female. Male plants produce long, slender cones that release pollen, while female cones are usually oval and produce seeds after pollination. In their natural habitats, certain insects carry pollen and facilitate fertilization. In Türkiye, almost all cycads known and commonly used as ornamental plants in recent years are Japanese Sago Palms (Cycas revoluta).

The Palm Center in Köyceğiz, Muğla, began propagating cycads from seed 30 years ago, in 1993, starting with the Japanese Sago Palm. Later, several other cycad species were also successfully propagated. Since there are no native insects in Türkiye capable of pollinating cycads, artificial pollination is used at our center to produce seeds. Our center was among the first producers in Europe to propagate the Taiwan Cycad (Cycas taitungensis). Today, seeds of this species produced at our center are exported internationally.