(Australian Tree Fern, Australian Treefern, Rough Treefern)

Rough tree fern is a luscious, prehistoric-plant with magnificent large green fronds with an unusual tolerance of salt spray and drier soil. This native of the mountain slopes of eastern Australia and nearby Norfolk Islands loves moist friable soils and look its best with high humidity, ample rainfall and avoidance of dry winds. Large fronds are a beautiful medium green above and light green underneath. This tree fern has a comparatively thick "trunk" which is actually an above-ground rhizome from...

(Australian Treefern, Cooper's Treefern, Lacy Treefern, Queensland Treefern)

Cooper's tree fern is a luscious, prehistoric-looking plant with magnificent large green fronds. This native of the coastal lowlands of eastern Australia loves moist friable soils and look its finest with high humidity and protection from cold or dry winds. The amazingly large, triangular-shaped fronds are a beautiful light to medium green and can reach great lengths. Typically tree ferns grown outside of their native ranges have leaves that rarely reach any length beyond 8 ft/2.5 m., often much...

(Cycad, Sago)

Long leaves that resemble fern or palm fronds are typical of these slow-growing cycads. Between 80 and 100 species comprise the genus Cycas. It is a group of Old World cycads native to an expansive area that includes Japan, China, the Philippines, Taiwan, the Indian subcontinent and Sri Lanka as well as Southeast Asia. Member species also occur in Madagascar, the western Pacific and northern Australia. The most diverse species are Australian.

Cycads are ancient plants that date back...

(Cycad, Queen Sago)

The queen sago is a lovely slow-growing cycad. This clump-forming evergreen is native to southeastern India and develops a tree-like appearance over time. Its very long leaves (fronds) are dark glossy green and feathery with individual leaflets that droop and curve slightly. The fronds are densely clustered and toothed on the lower part of the leaf stem. Fronds radiate from a central point at the top of a woody trunk-like stem. Newly emerging fronds are very soft, fuzzy and light green and tan. Plants...

(Cycad, Debao Fern Cycad, Multipinnate Cycad)

One glance at Debao fern cycad and you'll think it's a short-stemmed tree fern rather than a cycad, but don't be fooled. This rare cycad was recently discovered by botanists in 1996 in the Yunnan and Guangxi Provinces of China. It is a cone-bearing evergreen plant that grows in sunny, rocky openings among highland forests.

This cycad grows from an underground stem (caudex) with only a small portion extending above the soil. From the tip of the caudex emerges the highly ornate fronds. Each...

(King Sago, Sago Palm)

Sago palm is not a true palm but a cycad. This cone-bearing, clump-forming evergreen is a southern Japanese native and develops a tree-like appearance over time. Its long leaves are dark, glossy green and feathery in appearance but stiff and prickly to the touch. They are densely clustered and radiate from a central point at the top of the woody trunk-like stems.

Cycads are dioecious, meaning plants bear either male or female cone flowering structures. Male plants produce fuzzy, gold-brown...

(Ceylon Sago, Cycad)

The Ceylon sago is a slow-growing cycad that reaches tree-like proportions. This evergreen plant is cone-bearing and closely related to conifers. It is native to the Spice Islands, much of Indonesia and New Guinea. In the wild and in cultivation it is often confused with the visually similar Cycas circinalis.

Ceylon sago has very long leaves (fronds) that are dark glossy green and feathery. They are densely clustered, ending in a leaflet pair at the tip, and lack teeth on the lower...

(Cycad, Emperor Sago, Prince Sago)

Originally, this cycad species was considered to be Cycas taiwaniana, the Taiwan sago. It wasn't until 1994 with closer taxonomic investigation did botanists realize they were dealing with a separate species. It was native only to the mountains of southeastern Taiwan. This species' name comes from Taitung, the Taiwanese prefecture where it grows naturally.

The prince sago looks very much like the king sago (Cycas revoluta). The main visual differences are that emperor's sago...

(Cycad, Taiwan Sago)

Both the common and botanical name of this cycad is misleading and with an interesting history. Originally, in the 19th century, botanists described this evergreen species based on a herbarium specimen thought to have been collected on the island of Formosa (modern-day Taiwan). By the end of the 20th century, it became apparent that the only cycad truly native to Taiwan was Cycas taitungensis, with Cycas taiwaniana being native only to mainland southeastern China (Guangdong and...

(Eastern Cyclamen, Perennial Cyclamen)

The charming flowers and elegant foliage of this hardy cyclamen are highlights of the winter garden. A low, clump-forming, tuberous perennial, it is native from eastern Bulgaria to western Azerbaijan, with disjunct subspecies in Northwest Iran and the Levant.

Relatively small, fuzzy tubers shaped like cheese wheels give rise in autumn to deep green, kidney-shaped to heart-shaped leaves with scalloped or toothed margins. The leaves of some plants have striking silver or pewter markings. The...