446 SPERMATOPHYTES (SEED PLANTS) 
Cycads 
Of the Gymnosperms now in existence, the Cycads bear most 
resemblance to the Ferns. In leaf and stem characters, some of 
them could easily be mistaken for Ferns (Fig. 896). There are 
nearly one hundred species of Cycads. They are tropical plants 
but are grown nearly everywhere in greenhouses. One of the 
Fic. 396. — A Cycad, showing the finely divided leaves and the short thick 
trunk with its rough covering of leaf bases. After J. M. Coulter. 
forms (Cycas revoluta) common in cultivation is often labeled 
“Sago Palm” because its leaves resemble those of some of the 
Palms. 
Sporophyte. — The sporophyte has a tuberous or columnar 
stem at the top of which are borne the large, much branched, 
fern-like leaves. The stems are covered by the leaf-bases which 
remain after the leaves fall. In some Cycads, where the stem is 
subterranean, the plant is small, but in others with columnar 
stems, the plant may reach a height of 50 feet or more. 
Strobili. — The strobili are borne near the apex of the stem of 
which they are really branches, and are of two kinds — staminate 
and ovulate. The staminate strobili are simply microstrobili, 
that is, strobili in which only microsporophylls and microspo- 
