360 



THE SPERMATOPHYTES 



THE CYCADS 



346. The cycads. The cycads (order Cycadales) have thick 

 stems which rarely branch and are generally rather short, resem- 

 bling immense tubers partly buried in the ground (Fig. 293, A). 



A, plant bearing a 

 carpellate cone. B, 

 a carpel in side 

 view, showing the 

 two very large 

 ovules: ra, mycro- 

 pyle. A, adapted 

 from a photograph 

 by Land 



FIG. 293. A cycad (Zamia) 



Some of the cycads have, however, stems which rise like col- 

 umns ten to forty feet high. The compound leaves, like immense 

 stiff feathers, form a crown at the top of the stem so that the 

 general habit of the cycads is somewhat like that of the tree 



