Species profile—Cycas semota
Classification
Plantae (plants) → Equisetopsida (land plants) → Cycadaceae → Cycas semota
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Species details
- Kingdom
- Plantae (plants)
- Class
- Equisetopsida (land plants)
- Family
- Cycadaceae
- Scientific name
- Cycas semota K.D.Hill
- WildNet taxon ID
- 5936
- Nature Conservation Act 1992 (NCA) status
- Endangered
- Conservation significant
- Yes
- Confidential
- Yes
- Endemicity
- Native
- Pest status
- Nil
- Short Notes
- Gymnosperm
- Description
- Cycas semota is a cycad growing to 5m tall and tree-like in general appearance with a trunk up to 24 cm in diameter. The leaves are bright green, semi-glossy, 1.1-1.6m long and keeled (V-shaped) in cross-section, with140-250 leaflets. Young leaves have loose orange or brown hairs shedding as the leaf expands. The petiole (leaf stalk) is 30-40cm long and hairless. The leaflets are 14-20cm long, 6.5-7.5mm wide and spaced about 8-11mm apart along the rhachis (central stalk).
The reproductive structures grow from the centre of the plant crown. The ovoid (egg-shaped) male cones are brown, 40-46cm long and 12-14cm in diameter. The female sporophylls (seed bearing structures) are 10-20cm long with a broadly triangular apical lobe 5-6.5 cm long and 3.8-5 cm wide, with an apical spine 19-30 mm long. The seeds are a flattened, ovoid (egg-shape), 3.2-3.7 cm long and 2.8-3.2 mm wide, green to orange and not powdery.
Distinguished from the other species by the short female sporophylls (seed bearing structures) and short soft cataphylls (reduced scale-like leaves) with short soft hair. C. tuckeri from farther south has even shorter female sporophylls, with a distinctly shorter and broader lamina. (Hill 1998, 2004) - Map
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- Habitat
- Cycas semota grows in the grassy understorey of moist eucalypt forest and mesophyllous forest. It occurs on shallow, sandy soils over laterite. (Hill 2004)
- Reproduction
- Male cones shed pollen and female sporophylls are receptive in November - December. Pollination is effected by small beetles in an obligate mutualism.
- Notes
- Contributors: Ailsa Holland, Paul Forster, Mellisa Mayhew 17/06/2009
- References
- Herbrecs (2008). Cycas semota, in BriMapper version 2.12. Queensland Herbarium. Accessed 29/09/2008.
Hill, K. (1996). A taxonomic revision of the genus Cycas (Cycadaceae) in Australia. Telopea 7(1): 1-64.
Hill, K. (2004). Cycas semota, in The Cycad Pages online. Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney. Accessed 29/09/2008. http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/PlantNet/cycad/index.html
Hill, K.D. in McCarthy, P.M. (Ed) (1998). Flora of Australia 48: 610.
Jones, D.L. (2002). Cycads of the World, Ancient Plants in Today's Landscape. edn 2. New Holland Publishers, Australia. - Profile author
- Ailsa Holland (17/06/2009)
Other resources
Data source
This profile data is sourced from the QLD Wildlife Data API using the Get species by ID function used under CC-By 4.0.
https://apps.des.qld.gov.au/species/?op=getspeciesbyid&taxonid=5936.
This information is sourced from the WildNet database managed by the Queensland Department of Environment and Science.
