any tropical gymnosperm of the order Cycadales; having unbranched stems with a crown of fernlike leaves
' kad) A group of trees from the order Cycadales. These are tropical trees and shrubs with thick stems, crowns of fernlike leaves, and fleshy seeds enclosed in large cones.
a seed-bearing plant similar in appearance to modern palm trees. They first appeared in the Permian, and were common in the Mesozoic, but are rare today, having been displaced by flowering, fruit-bearing plants which appeared in the Cretaceous. Page up
Cycads are an ancient group of seed plants characterized by a large crown of compound leaves and a stout trunk. They are evergreen, gymnospermous, dioecious plants having large pinnately compound leaves. They are frequently confused with and mistaken for palms or ferns, but are unrelated to either, belonging to the division Cycadophyta.