Cycadeaceæ

pl. ( Bot.) An ord. of plants, alliance Gymnogens.-DIAG. Simple, continuous stem, parallel veined pinnate leaves, and an the rifer ous cone-scales. They are small palm-like unbranched trees or shrubs, with stems marked by the scars of fallen leaves. In a few species the stem divides in a forked or dichotomous manner. The leaves are clustered at the summit, are pinnate, parallel-veined, hard, and usually circinate in vernation. The flowers are quite naked, unisexual, and diœcio us; the male flowers in cones, consisting of scales, from the under surface of which one-celled anthers arise; the female, consisting of naked ovules placed on the margins of alternate leaves, or of ovules arising from the base of flat scales, or from the under surface of peltate ones. The seeds are hard or succulent, with embryos, single or many, in fleshy or mealy albumen. The plants are principally natives of the tropical parts of America and Asia, and are also found occasionally at the Cape of Good Hope, in Madagascar, and Australia. Their stems and seeds yield mucilage and starch. The product known as Japan sago is said to be obtained from a species of the typical gen. Cycas. The order includes 45 species in 6 genera.