Species profile—Cycas couttsiana

Classification

Plantae (plants) → Equisetopsida (land plants) → Cycadaceae → Cycas couttsiana

Species details

Kingdom

Plantae (plants)

Class

Equisetopsida (land plants)

Family

Cycadaceae

Scientific name

Cycas couttsiana K.D.Hill

WildNet taxon ID

8439

Nature Conservation Act 1992 (NCA) status

Vulnerable

Conservation significant

Yes

Confidential

Yes

Endemicity

Native

Pest status

Nil

Short Notes

Gymnosperm

Description

Cycas couttsiana is a cycad with a trunk 5-7m tall. Juvenille leaves are blue to blue-green, powdery and densely covered with greyish-white or orange-brown hairs. The mature leaves are strongly keeled (V-shaped) in cross-section, 100-130cm long and have 180-270 leaflets that are inserted at 30-90 degrees along the rhachis (central stalk) and arranged 5-9 mm apart. The leaflets are dull blue-green in colour, straight (not arching) in profile. The petiole (leaf stalk) is 17-21cm long and have spines (pinnacanths) for 30-100 precent of their length. The median leaflets are 17-21cm long, 4.5-6mm wide and narrowed to 3-4.5mm at the base. The leaflets have a waxy bloom and are rigid with the margins slightly recurved or nearly flat.
The pollen cones are ovoid (egg-shaped), 15-20cm long, 7-9cm in diameter and orange in colour. The scales arranged around the male cone are 30-35mm long and 12mm wide, with a spine 8mm long at the tip. The female sporophylls are 16-26cm long, the apical lobe lance-shaped, 40-60mm long, 20-30mm wide, and with an apical spine 15-25mm long at the tip; each with 4-6 ovules. The seeds are ovoid, 35-46mm long and 28-38mm wide, green to yellowish-brown and powdery.
This species is characterised by the relatively broad, bluish leaflets with almost flat margins and the persistent soft white hairs. C. couttsiana is allied to C. cairnsiana but is taller growing and lacks the revolut leaf margins of htat species. C. cupida can be distinguished by rusty brown hairs on the new leaves. (Hill 1998)

Habitat

Cycas couttsiana occurs in open grassy woodlands in red sandy loams derived from basalt or dolerite. (Hill 1998; Herbrecs 2008)

Reproduction

Male cones shed pollen and female sporophylls are receptive in November. Pollination is effected by small beetles in an obligate mutualistic relationships.

Management documents

Conservation and management of protected plants in trade in Queensland 1995-1998. Department of Environment.

Notes

Contributors: Ailsa Holland, Paul Forster, Mellisa Mayhew 17/06/2009

References

Herbrecs (2008). Cycas couttsiana, in BriMapper version 3.2.1. Queensland Herbarium. Accessed 16/12/2008.
Hill, K. (1992). A preliminary account of Cycas (Cycadaceae) in Queensland. Telopea 5(1): 177-206.
Hill, K.D. in McCarthy, P.M. (Ed) (1998). Flora of Australia 48: 613.
Jones, D.L. (2002). Cycads of the World, Ancient Plants in Today's Landscape. edn 2. New Holland Publishers, Australia.

Profile author

Ailsa Holland (17/06/2009)

Other resources

• The Australasian Virtual Herbarium (AVH)
• Atlas of Living Australia

Data source

This profile data is sourced from the QLD Wildlife Data API using the Get species by ID function used under CC-By 4.0.
https://apps.des.qld.gov.au/species/?op=getspeciesbyid&taxonid=8439.

This information is sourced from the WildNet database managed by the Queensland Department of Environment and Science.