Cycads (Cycadales)

This group gathers Conifers and Other Gymnosperms subcategory members belonging to the order Cycadales, an ancient lineage of seed plants that, despite a superficial resemblance to palms or ferns, is only distantly related to either and belongs instead among the gymnosperms alongside the true conifers. It spans the genus Encephalartos, Africa's largest and most diverse cycad genus, several of its species now critically endangered in the wild through overcollection, the genus Cycas, including the sago palm long cultivated as an ornamental despite its common name, the genus Dioon, native to Mexico and Central America, and Zamia, whose starchy underground stem, coontie, was historically processed as a food source by indigenous peoples of Florida and the Caribbean despite the toxic compounds the raw plant contains. Nearly every cycad reproduces via large, distinctive cones and a sluggish growth rate measured in decades.