Sago Palm, Cycas revoluta

Rated 15°F

The Sago Palm has become a very popular landscape item. 
But most people don’t realize that it is not a palm at all, but rather a cycad. Cycads are a group of plants that are very primitive in their origins. Fossils have been found on almost every continent on the planet. It is often stated that cycads have evolved little since the days of the dinosaurs. There are species that have gone extinct, while there are others that seemed to show little evolution over millions of years. Therefore as a group, cycads are often referred to as “living fossils”. The scientific name for the Sago Palm is revoluta. cycas refers to the genus, the genus refers to a particular group of similar plants in the Cycad family and revoluta further describes the exact species of the group Cycas. The latter was given to this species because of the revolute (to curl back) nature of the leaflets; the edges roll under the leaflet.

The Sago Palm is the most propagated and sold cycad in the world. It is seen in almost all botanical gardens, in temperate and tropical locations and in many areas of the world it  is heavily promoted commercially as a landscape plant. Unfortunately, its common name "Sago Palm" has obscured the fact that it is actually a cycad.  Other names for this species include the sago palm tree, the king sago, and, because of unfamiliarity with it, the palm cycad.

Description Of The Sago Palm
Sago Palms have erect, sturdy trunks that are typically about one to two feet in diameter, sometimes wider and can grow into very old specimens with twenty feet of trunk. The leaves are a dark olive green and about three to four feet long when the plants are of a reproductive age. They can be longer if not grown in full sun. Trunks can branch multiple times, thus producing multiple heads of leaves. The trunks are rough and retain the old leaf bases of previous leaves. It is also the norm that plants will produce basal offsets or “suckers” at the base of the main trunk. Thus one gets a cluster of many plants and trunks with time. The petiole or stems of Cycas revoluta have small protective barbs or hooks that one must avoid during pruning. An older plant with a well-established trunk will have foliage overhead. Younger plants look like a rosette of leaves coming from a stem near the ground. 

Growing Sago Palms
Growing of Cycas revoluta is not difficult if simple rules are followed. First, do give ample root depth by picking a pot or container that is deep. By this I mean preferably a pot 16 inches deep or more (a smaller container can be used when the plant is small). It is quicker and easier to grow Cycas revoluta in the ground as opposed to a container. In general, Sago Palms need sun to grow well. In coastal areas, it is best to plant them in full sun. In more interior locations or desert localities, they still prefer good sun or at least part day sun. Growing the Sago Palm in the shade typically gives one lanky, stretched-out leaves that are weak. If in too much shade, this species can actually just stall and do nothing (such as refusing to throw any new leaves). 

The Sago Palm can be grown inside the house near a bright window. Like other cycads, they do not want to be over-watered. Let the soil dry out a bit before watering. Try to avoid overhead watering; this may cause rot and possibly total decay of the plant. The soil mix should be quick draining. The plants are quite cold hardy and can tolerate temperatures below 20° F. Overall, it is an available species that is quite versatile and easy to grow. It is usually free from pests but can occasionally get into problems with scale or mealybug, which should be treated. Fertilizing with a balanced tropical fertilizer with microelements will usually suffice. Sagos typically throw a new set of leaves during the Spring or Summer.