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Cycas revoluta

Common name:	Japanese Sago Palm	Family:	Cycadaceae
Author:	Thunb.	Botanical references:	58, 200, 266
Synonyms:
Known Hazards:	The plants contain alkaloids of carcinogens and also an amino-acid that causes chronic nervous disorders[200]. Regular consumption of the plant leads to severe health problems and death. This toxic principle can be removed if the food is properly prepared but consumption of the plant still cannot be recommended because its use often means the death of the plant and it is becoming rare in the wild.
Range:	E. Asia - China, Japan.
Habitat:	Found mainly on the sea shore in S. Japan[58]. Thickets on hillsides on islands, sparse forests on mainland at elevations of 100 - 500 metres in Fujian, China[266].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	1	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	2

Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Ch'Ien Nien Tsao [E], Penawar Djambe [E], Sago Palm [P,H], Sago-palm [B], Sotetu [E], Tie Shu Ye [E], Wan Sui Tsao [E], Wu Lou Tzu [E],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	revoluta = unrolled;
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Cycadales. Cycad family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	China; Java

Physical Characteristics

An evergreen tree growing to 3.5m by 3.5m at a slow rate. It is hardy to zone 9 and is frost tender. It is in leaf all year, in flower from May to July, and the seeds ripen from October to November. The flowers are dioecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but only one sex is to be found on any one plant so both male and female plants must be grown if seed is required) and are pollinated by Insects and wind. The plant not is self-fertile. It can fix Nitrogen. We rate it 1/5 for edibility and 2/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires dry or moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Woodland, Sunny Edge, Dappled Shade, By Walls, By South Wall, By West Wall.

Edible Uses

Seed; Stem.

Seed - raw or cooked[2, 46, 177]. They can be dried and ground into a powder then mixed with brown rice and fermented into 'date miso' or 'sotetsu miso'[183]. Caution is advised, see the notes above on toxicity.
The heart or pith of the trunk is sliced and eaten baked or powdered. A toxic principal must first be removed[183]. A starch can be extracted from this pith and is used for making dumplings[183]. It is very sustaining[2, 177].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Astringent; Cancer; Diuretic; Emmenagogue; Expectorant; Tonic.

The leaves are used in the treatment of cancer and hepatoma[218].
The terminal shoot is astringent and diuretic[218].
The seed is emmenagogue, expectorant and tonic[218]. It is used in the treatment of rheumatism[218]. Substances extracted from the seeds are used to inhibit the growth of malignant tumours[218].

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

Requires a strong loam with sharp sand and good drainage[164]. Succeeds in dry soils. Requires a sunny position[188].
Although it is the hardiest cycad, this species is not fully hardy in Britain but can tolerate occasional lows to about -5°c so long as the crown is protected[200, 260] and so is worthwhile trying outdoors in a sheltered position in the mildest areas of the country[166]. Alternatively, it can be given greenhouse or conservatory protection over the winter and be placed outdoors in the summer[1]. Plants are very slow growing[188, 260].
This plant is often used as a food source in its native range but recent research has shown that it can cause chronic nervous disorders if it is not treated properly[200]. Overall its use is not to be recommended, especially since it is becoming rare in the wild.
The plants produce special upward growing roots where nitrogen is produced in symbiosis with algae[200].
Dioecious, male and female plants must be grown if seed is required.

Propagation

Seed - best sown in a greenhouse as soon as it is ripe, 2cm deep in individual pots which are then sealed in plastic bags to keep them moist until germination takes place. Germinates in 1 - 3 months at 25°c[164]. Pre-soak stored seed for 24 hours in warm water then treat as above.
Division of suckers in the spring.

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[V] Images from the Vascular Plant Image Gallery of the Texas A&M Bioinformatics Working Group.
[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[PHARM] Phytochemical Data (common names, uses, countries) from Dr Duke's Phytochemical Database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for the family Cycadaceae.

[CHINA] Data Very detailed botanical/identification info. from the Flora of China.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[58] Ohwi. G. Flora of Japan. (English translation) Smithsonian Institution 1965
The standard work. Brilliant, but not for the casual reader.

[164] Bird. R. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 4. Thompson and Morgan. 1990
Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation. A good article on Yuccas, one on Sagebrush (Artemesia spp) and another on Chaerophyllum bulbosum.

[166] Taylor. J. The Milder Garden. Dent 1990
A good book on plants that you didn't know could be grown outdoors in Britain.

[177] Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984 ISBN 3874292169
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[188] Brickell. C. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd. 1990 ISBN 0-86318-386-7
Excellent range of photographs, some cultivation details but very little information on plant uses.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[218] Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985 ISBN 0-917256-20-4
Details of over 1,200 medicinal plants of China and brief details of their uses. Often includes an analysis, or at least a list of constituents. Heavy going if you are not into the subject.

[260] Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Conservatory and Indoor Plants Volumes 1 & 2 Pan Books, London. 1998 ISBN 0-330-37376-5
Excellent photos of over 1,100 species and cultivars with habits and cultivation details plus a few plant uses. Many species are too tender for outdoors in Britain though there are many that can be grown outside.

[266] Flora of China 1994
On-line version of the Flora - an excellent resource giving basic info on habitat and some uses.

Readers Comments

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
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