Cycas circinalis subsp. riumuniana

L., (Porte) Schust.

Pitogo

CycadaceaeLeavesSeeds/Nuts

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(c) T R Shankar Raman, some rights reserved (CC BY)

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(c) T R Shankar Raman, some rights reserved (CC BY)

What to Eat

Edible parts: Leaves, Seeds, Trunk starch

The seed is poisonous. The potent poison in the seeds is removed by soaking them in water. Water from the first seed-soaking will kill birds, goats, sheep and hogs. Water from the following soakings is said to be harmless. [Minimum of 5 Soakings needed to ensure the safety] After the final soaking, the seeds are dried and ground into flour. The flour is used to make tortillas, tamales, soup and porridge.

Where to Find It

A tropical plant. It is scattered throughout the Philippines often near the seashore.

Asia, Pacific, Philippines, SE Asia,

Countries: United Arab Emirates, Afghanistan, Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Brunei, Bhutan, China, Fiji, Micronesia, Georgia, Indonesia, Israel, India, Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Cambodia, Kiribati, North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Laos, Lebanon, Sri Lanka, Marshall Islands, Myanmar, Mongolia, Maldives, Malaysia, Nepal, Nauru, New Zealand, Oman, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Pakistan, Palau, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Solomon Islands, Singapore, Syria, Thailand, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, Tonga, Turkey, Tuvalu, Taiwan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Vanuatu, Samoa, Yemen

How to Identify

A palm like tree. It has a stout stem. It grows 12 m high. The trunk can be 50 cm across. The leaves are divided into leaflets along the stalk. The leaves are up to 1.5 m long. The leaves are produced in a cluster at the top of the trunk. The leaflets are 20-30 cm long and 1 cm wide. The male cones are oval and cylinder shaped and 60 cm long. The female flowers are brown and rusty and have 4-6 ovules/ The fruit is oval and 3-5 cm long.

How to Grow

Plants can be grown by seeds. Often pollen has to be transferred from the male plant to the female ovules to get viable seeds.

Wikipedia

Source ↗

Cycas circinalis, also known as the queen sago, is a species of cycad known in the wild only from southern India. Cycas circinalis is the only gymnosperm species found among native Sri Lankan flora.

Notes

There are about 20-40 Cycas species.

References (2)

Monsalud, M.R., Tongacan, A.L., Lopez, F.R., & Lagrimas, M.Q., 1966, Edible Wild Plants in Philippine Forests. Philippine Journal of Science. p 456
Polinag, M. A., 2003, Food from the Wilderness. Department of Environment and Natural Resources. Laguna.