Cycas revoluta - also called sago palm, king sago, sago cycad, Japanese sago palm.
But it is not the true sago palm, source of the starch used as a thickener in puddings, gravy, etc. That one is Metroxylon sagu, grown commercially in Asia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cycas_revoluta
This plant is Cycas revoluta and is not a palm at all but is in the family cadaceae, usually referred to the most ancient category of plants. In Southern California it is grown as a landscape plant and large specimens are quite expensive. There was a time thirty years ago that during the night someone stole all the sago palms from the front of the Fullerton Police Department. It was a major crime because each plant was worth a thousand dollars or more. .
This one grows in my neighbor's yard and is more than thirty years old. The longer fronds are about 32 inches, so the diameter of the plant is in excess of six feet.
But it is not the true sago palm, source of the starch used as a thickener in puddings, gravy, etc. That one is Metroxylon sagu, grown commercially in Asia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cycas_revoluta
This plant is Cycas revoluta and is not a palm at all but is in the family cadaceae, usually referred to the most ancient category of plants. In Southern California it is grown as a landscape plant and large specimens are quite expensive. There was a time thirty years ago that during the night someone stole all the sago palms from the front of the Fullerton Police Department. It was a major crime because each plant was worth a thousand dollars or more. .
This one grows in my neighbor's yard and is more than thirty years old. The longer fronds are about 32 inches, so the diameter of the plant is in excess of six feet.
This is the female of the species and here is the flower. The males have a cone that also grows out of the middle of the plant. The "petals" don't open, but the flower becomes puffier and puffier until it shreds into millions of short, sticky fibers.
Here is a close up of the flower "petals" which to me look like long-fingered hands or, maybe, frog's feet
This little guy is our resident bunny, part of a colony that lived in a clump of bushes down the street. New neighbors moved in and cut down all the trees and bushes (why?) so the rabbits scattered to other locations. This one seems to live in the neighbor's large hedge on the other side of the drive from the Sago. He also appears in the top picture in the upper right corner - watching me very closely.
2 comments:
How cool is this post. Ive never seen this plant but hopefully I will the next time I'm in So Cal. And the poor bunny! But then again they are taking over our valley and causing lots of damage. We actually have foxes coming down from the hills for the first time in the 46 years Ive lived in my house. They are beautiful and are helping to control the rabbits. Natures way.
The tiny bunny appearing to be perched on the top of the cycas, really adds interesting scale to the whole photo.
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