Spotted this extraordinary plant on my recent trip to Queensland
It had mutliple heads, I think I counted 7 in all, and was easily over 5 metres tall. Probably not the tallest cycad Ive seen (seen taller wild Cycas angulata in Arnhem Land), it was definitely the most massive! The base of the trunk would have been well over a metre in diameter!
It was in the front yard of an old house that looked to be completely abandoned so I assume it hasnt had any care for many years, in fact I was very tempted to jump the fence and pull out the climbing viny weed that was threatening to swallow it. I think its Cycas thouarsii, but the crowns were up so high I couldnt get a god look and there are a few cycas very closely related to thouarsii that can be hard to distinguish so Im not 100% certain, so it could have been circinalis or rumphii
I also took a picture of a Brachychiton rupestris, the Queensland bottle tree. Its not related to boabs at all but has the same bottle trunk and small crown, it was a lovely looking tree.
Huge multi-headed cycad
Re: Huge multi-headed cycad
Wow! I had no idea they even grew like that. I thought they stayed shrub or bush shaped, not like a tree. Impressive!
Re: Huge multi-headed cycad
Hi it must be very old! I did not realise they could get multi trunks.
Re: Huge multi-headed cycad
LOVE the bottle tree, never seen anything like that.
Most wanted list - Any Young Trachycarpus and/or fern.
Re: Huge multi-headed cycad
What a great cycad, I have seen what I thought where tall cycads in Italy, even multi trunked ones but nothing as big as the one in the picture.
Re: Huge multi-headed cycad
Hmm, abandoned house...ok. Dig it up and send it over, I'll see if I can find room for it
Re: Huge multi-headed cycad
must have started out like this one we saw last year, just starting to turn into a multi stem i think.dorothy wrote:Hi it must be very old! I did not realise they could get multi trunks.