Wildflowers, Photos … and Cycads (Burrawangs)

A visitor to the forests of the south coast of NSW, or the Jarrah forests of WA will have seen these unusual palm-like plants called Cycads, that make such a distinctive understorey.Image Could Not Be Found

Cycads are plants of great antiquity, being the oldest living representatives of the first seed-bearing plants. They probably dominated the vegetation of the world some 200 million years ago when dinosaurs roamed the earth. Today, although much less abundant than in the past, cycads are found on many continents, generally in tropical or subtropical areas.

Though the cycads look like palms (and maybe ferns), they are related to the pine trees, as, like pines, cycads bear their seeds in cones.

Image Could Not Be FoundCycads have a stout trunk a metre or more tall, while others have the trunk wholly underground. At the top of their trunks is a cluster of long leaves (or fronds) maybe over 2m long, each bearing many leaflets.

Image Could Not Be FoundCycads grow as either male or female plants. The male plants produce narrow elongated cones which produce pollen. The female plants produce much larger seed bearing cones which, when mature break open allowing the seeds to fall to the ground. Image Could Not Be FoundThe ripe seeds have a fleshy, brightly-coloured (orange to red) covering and are gathered and eaten by marsupials, large birds and bats. I have seen female cones measuring 40cm in length and about 25cm diameter, although some species have considerably smaller cones.

In Australia, cycads are found in the tropical and sub-tropical zones, along the east coast and in the south-west of Western Australia, in areas of medium-to-high rainfall. One species occurs in the arid climate of Central Australia particularly in the Macdonnell Ranges. There are none in Victoria and South Australia though there are fossil beds of ancient cycads in Victoria.

In dry climates they grow mainly as scattered individuals but in moist areas they can occur in large colonies. Image Could Not Be FoundThe habitat in which they grow is generally open, from tall open forests to grass-lands and stony hillsides with shallow and rocky soils. On the Central and South Coast of New South Wales, Burrawangs (Macrozamia communis) can be seen in large numbers forming a distinctive understorey in the forests of the National Parks.

Australian Cycads include the genera Cycas, Lepidozamia and Macrozamia. There are about fifty species. Most species are extremely slow-growing, producing only a few leaves each year. Large specimens are of great age and may be some of the oldest living plants on earth.

All parts of the cycad plant are poisonous. Indigenous people have found a way to detoxify the seed by soaking the crushed seeds in water for several days. The water slowly breaks down and dissolves out the poison. Members of Captain Cook's party told how the Australian aboriginals collect seed of Cycas media , pound it up and dry it, then soak it in a stream for 4 to 5 days, before making it into a paste that is baked into bread. In 1788, Governor Phillips of New South Wales reported that a similar process was used to render the seeds of burrawangs harmless. More recently this species has been used for alcohol production, manufacture of laundry starch and the production of adhesive pastes.

Grazing by stock on cycad leaves can result in partial or total paralysis of the hind legs, a condition known as the 'wobbles' or 'staggers'. Whilst this rarely kills the animals, they are unable to obtain food and water and often die.

Cycads (mostly non Australian species) are used in horticulture, their long glossy fronds creating a striking display. They are very slow growing, making them good for potted specimens. Seeds will germinate readily – I have a couple in my garden with only a couple of small leaves but they must be about 25 years old. As a child growing up on the NSW north coast I recall the long fronds being cut from the bush and used to decorate little bush churches for weddings and at Christmas.

Cheers,

Val.