The sago palm, despite having ‘palm’ in its name, is not actually a palm tree at all, it is a cycad with no relation to palm trees, or ferns which also look similar. Today’s species is native to Japan and southern China, where they are found in thickets on hillsides and in forests at elevations of up to 500m above sea level. The binomial name, Cycas revoluta, has the following meaning:

• Cycas-comes from the Greek word ‘kykas’, which I have read a possible transcription for the word ‘koikas’ which means palm tree.
• Revoluta-is a Latin word that means ‘rolled’ or ‘curled back’, referring to the plant leaves.

The sago palm is native from tropical to warm-temperate climates within its native range. It is native to stony soils and tolerates saline soils too, but is quite happy in sandy loam soils, with acid to neutral pH. Coralloid roots are formed by this species (and other cycads too)-these are roots that form a special relationship with Cyanobacteria that fix nitrogen, along with beneficial amino (in association with the roots) acids like asparagine and citrulline. This helps this cycad survive in nutrient poor soils. It’s a very slow-growing species, that can reach a height of around five metres tall by five metres wide. Bright, indirect light is preferred, with harsh, bright sunlight potentially damaging leaves. The sago palm can tolerate brief cold snaps, with frost also damaging the foliage. The plant cannot survive temperatures of lower than minus ten degrees celsius.

The leaves of the sago palm grow straight from the central trunk in a rosette formation, being dark green colour. They do look like palm leaves, with spiny tips and leaf margins that roll downward. They have up to 125 sickle-shaped leaflets. The whole leaf can reach up to 1.5m long.

The species is dioecious, which means there are seperate male and female plants. The male inflorescences are cone-shaped, reaching 80cm tall from the crown of the plant. The female inflorescence is composed of a feathered, leaf-like flower head that’s densely packed in the crown at the centre of the plant. This structure becomes a densely packed seed head that produces lots of orange to red seeds. Pollination occurs in late spring to early summer, while the seeds become mature in autumn.

There is a word of caution with this cycad, as all parts are poisonous for humans.

For me, this cycad is a bit of a mixed bag if I’m honest. If it is planted in a space large enough for it to grow as it should, so that its leaves can spread out to their full extent, then it is a really good looking plant to have in your garden or general landscape. On the other hand, I do often see it put into a corner with too little space to flourish, then it doesn’t look its best-something that is far too common. If I did have the space, though, I would probably have one in my garden.