(Emperor Ginger, Queen Lily)

One of the hardier Curcuma species, queen ginger is a deciduous ornamental that can survive chilling temperatures to zone 7. This native of Burma and Malaysia offers a tropical look to cooler regions and is surprisingly easy to grow.

The broad showy leaves of queen ginger are rich green and ribbed with parallel pleats. These rise to from a neat upright clump that will spread over time via creeping rhizomes. In summer it produces showy columns of yellow and white flowers lined with...

(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...

(Angled Blue Sago, Cycad, Marlborough Blue Sago)

The Marlborough blue sago is a slow-growing cycad that towers upward, looking like some type of date palm. This evergreen plant is cone-bearing and closely related to conifers. It is native to Australia, mainly around the Gulf of Carpentaria. This species is often considered the largest growing of all Cycas species.

Marlborough blue sago has long arching leaves (fronds) that are dark glossy gray-green and feathery. They are densely clustered - numbering up to 40 - at the tip of a...

(Australian Cycas, Mount Surprise Cycad, Mount Surprise Sago)

Feathery, steel-blue leaves make the rare Mount Surprise cycad a plant lover's dream. Native to northeastern Queensland, Australia, where it is endangered, this cone-bearing evergreen grows slowly with a short stem (caudex) that looks like a trunk. Cycads are primitive, non-flowering plants closely related to conifers.

New fronds emerge from the tip of the caudex in late spring. When they first emerge, they are soft and pale blue, but as they age their texture becomes pliable and plastic-like...

(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, Queen Sago, Seemann's Sago)

Seemann's sago grows naturally near the coasts on southwestern Pacific islands, mimicking the look of short palm trees. Because of agriculture, this cycad is becoming less uncommon on islands such as Vanuatu, Tonga and Fiji. Its long leaves (fronds) are deep glossy green and feathery with individual narrow leaflets that are held out in a 180-degree plane. Fronds radiate from a central point at the top of a woody trunk-like stem. Newly emerging fronds are soft and flexible, and shed orange-tan fuzz...

(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...