Students and growers of cycads will routinely encounter terms that have specific meanings
in the context of various scientific subdisciplines—such as biology, ecology,
taxonomy, or horticulture. While some such terms are to be expected only in
formal botanical descriptions (e.g. arcuate, chartaceous, epigeous), a
few are actually exclusive to cycads (e.g. omnule, omnel, corruptule, corruptel),
and still others are commonly used incorrectly in reference to cycads (e.g.
bulb, endosperm, frond). The links provided below are based on the
“Glossary of Terms Encountered in Cycad Systematics” provided as Appendix 2 in
the well-known book, Cycad Classification: Concepts and Recommendations
(Walters & Osborne, 2004).
TCS has developed a new
‘expanded glossary’ with more than
1,200 cycad-related terms as a
comprehensive, ever-evolving, and dynamic resource for those interested in
cycads and their study and cultivation:
We have also created an illustrated glossary that provides cycad-specific
examples of more than 500 of the terms listed in the ‘expanded
glossary’ above:
.
