This page is dedicated to cycad-related educational articles, information, and activities produced or conducted by TCS.

Sample Newsletter Articles

• "Strange but True: A never-before-reported characteristic of Zamia pseudoparasitica," by Alberto Taylor, Jorge Mendieta, Ronald Bernal & Gaspar Silvera
  (This article was published in the June/September 2008 issue)

• "Coffee, cycads' new best friend?" by Tom Broome
  (This article was originally published in the December 2007 issue)

• "CITES and Cycad Conservation / Seeds of Hope," by Dr. John Donaldson
  (This double article was originally published in the December 2004 Supplement. The first part is on CITES and cycad conservation, while the second explores whether or not trade in seeds might benefit cycad conservation.)

• "Questions & Answers about the Cycad Aulacaspis Scale Insect," by F. W. Howard & T. J. Weissling
  (This article was originally published in the December 1999 issue)

• "Another Day, Another Dioon," by Jeff Chemnick
  (This article was originally published in the September 1999 issue)

• "Never Throw Away a Cycad," by Tom Broome
  (This article was originally published in the September 1998 issue)

Cycad Focus Articles

One of the consistent components of the Cycad Newsletter since the September 2002 issue (Vol. 25, No. 3) has been the "Cycad Focus" column, in which a different species of cycad is highlighted in each issue. These columns typically feature taxonomical, horticultural, phenological, and other information on the respective 'target' species. The concept of targeting individual species in detail actually began long before 2002, however, and was first announced in the May 1981 issue (Vol. 4, No. 2). Originally called "Portrait of a Species," the first species to be targeted was Bowenia serrulata in the March 1982 issue (Vol. 5, No. 1). TCS will be making these in-depth "Portrait of a Species" and "Cycad Focus" articles available here on our website in an effort to provide quality educational information on cycads to a broader audience.

Below are the "Cycad Focus" articles that are available online in alphabetical order:

• Bowenia serrulata Vol. 5, No. 1 (March 1982)

• Ceratozamia hildae Vol. 13, No. 1 (May 1990)

• Ceratozamia hildae Vol. 26, No. 2 (June 2003)

• Cycas beddomei Vol. 16, No. 2 (November 1993)

• Dioon merolae Vol. 30, No. 1 (March 2007)

• Dioon merolae, cont. Vol. 30, No. 2 (June 2007)

• Encephalartos altensteinii Vol. 6, No. 2 (July 1983)

• Encephalartos caffer Vol. 9, No. 1 (April 1986)

• Encephalartos horridus Vol. 6, No. 2 (July 1983)

• Encephalartos kisambo Vol. 32, No. 1 (March 2009)

• Encephalartos turneri Vol. 30, No. 2 (June 2007)

• Zamia pumila (Z. floridana) Vol. 13, No. 2 (November 1990)

• Macrozamia commmunis Vol. 20, No. 2 (June 1997)

• Macrozamia diplomera Vol. 16, No. 3 (December 1993)

• Macrozamia fawcettii Vol. 20, No. 3 (September 1997)

• Macrozamia spiralis Vol. 20, No. 4 (December 1997)

• Macrozamia stenomera Vol. 16, No. 3 (December 1993)

• Microcycas calocoma Vol. 14, No. 2 (November 1991)

• Microcycas calocoma Vol. 30, No. 4 (December 2007)

• Lepidozamia peroffskyana Vol. 16, No. 3 (December 1993)

• Zamia lindenii Vol. 33, No. 4 (December 2010)

• Zamia splendens Vol. 27, No. 2 (June 2004)

Click here to visit the Cycad Newsletter page for more information and to see the complete list of species addressed to date.

Membership Brochure

We have created a new educational membership brochure that is available for members to give out at events. Click here to view the entire brochure. And feel free to contact our Membership Director, Craig Nazor (membership@cycad.org), to request copies of the brochure to hand out.

Other Educational Efforts

University Science Curriculum

In 2008, TCS contributed a photo to the new "Science 4 Curriculum" developed by Bob Jones University. Click here to view the page containing the photo. (2.5 Mb)

Cycad Book Donations

Also in 2008, TCS donated copies of Loran Whitelock's The Cycads to the following libraries and institutions. The criteria used to decide where to donate the books were simple: (1) is regularly visited by students and/or professionals interested in cycads, (2) does not already have a copy, and (3) expressed an interest in obtaining a copy.

• University Library, University of Texas - Pan American, Edinburg, TX, USA

• Atlanta Botanical Garden, Atlanta, GA, USA

• SERBO, A.C., Oaxaca, Mexico

• Departamento de Botanica, Universidad de Panama, Panama City, Panama

Glossary of Cycad Terms

In 2009, TCS developed an expanded glossary of more than 1,200 cycad terms (using the Glossary of Terms Encountered in Cycad Systematics provided in Walters & Osborne [2004] as a foundation) as well as a fully illustrated glossary of more than 500 of these terms using cycad-specific examples. Click here for more information.

Etymological Compendium of Cycad Names

Also in 2009, TCS compiled a list of the etymologies (= meanings) of all currently accepted cycad names. Click here to view this etymological compendium.
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Additional Educational Resources

World List of Cycads

• Osborne, R., M.A. Calonje, K.D. Hill, L. Stanberg & D.W. Stevenson. 2012. The world list of Cycads. Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Cycad Biology (CYCAD 2008), January 2008, Panama City, Panama. Memoirs of the New York Botanical Garden 106:480-510.

• Haynes, J.L. 2012. World List of Cycads: A Historical Review. IUCN/SSC Cycad Specialist Group. Unpublished. 38 pp.

Taxonomic Key Posters

• Gregory, T., J. Haynes & J. Chemnick. 2005. Key to the Species of Dioon. Poster presented at the 7th International Conference on Cycad Biology (CYCAD 2005), Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico.

• Chemnick, J., T. Gregory, J. Haynes, M.A. Perez-Farrera & L. Whitelock. 2008. Key to the Species of Ceratozamia. Poster presented at the 8th International Conference on Cycad Biology (CYCAD 2008), Panama City, Panama.

Biogeography

• Taylor, A.S., J.L. Haynes, D.W. Stevenson, G. Holzman & J. Mendieta. 2012. Biogeographic insights in Central American cycad biology. Pp. 73-98, In: Global Advances in Biogeography, L. Stevens (ed.), InTech Open Access Publisher, Rijeka, Croatia. (1.5 Mb)

Vernacular (Common) Names

• Bonta, M. & R. Osborne. 2007. Cycads in the vernacular: A compendium of local names. Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Cycad Biology, Xalapa, Mexico, January 2005. Memoirs of the New York Botanical Garden 97: 143-175.

Cycad/Insect Pollination

• Terry, I., G.H. Walter, C. Moore, R. Roemer & C. Hull. 2007. Odor-mediated push-pull pollination in cycads. Science 318:70.

• Thompson, A. 2007. Plants use smelly trick to attract pollinating bugs. LiveScience.com.

Plants in Habitat

• This link contains a video (in Spanish) of a visit to Microcycas calocoma in habitat in Cuba.

• Below is a YouTube video (in Spanish with English subtitles) of Dioon merolae in habitat in Chiapas, Mexico.
  
  

Original Species Descriptions

Click here to see our database of original cycad species descriptions.

IUCN Red List

All throughout 2010, the IUCN Red List website featured a different threatened or endangered "Species of the Day". Below are the cycads that were highlighted: