Cycas circinalis

Queen sago
	In Kerala
Conservation status
	; Endangered (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Gymnospermae
Division:	Cycadophyta
Class:	Cycadopsida
Order:	Cycadales
Family:	Cycadaceae
Genus:	Cycas
Species:	C. circinalis
Binomial name
	Cycas circinalis; L.

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.

Taxonomy

C. circinallis is native to southern India and Sri Lanka, but the species name was formerly widely used for similar cycads in Southeast Asia, which leads to confusion in modern sources. The specimens described as "C. circinallis" in Indonesia and New Guinea are now recognized as Cycas rumphii; while the taxon formerly described as the subspecies C. circinallis ssp. riuminiana from the Philippines is now regarded as a separate species, Cycas riuminiana.^[2]^[3]

Cultivation

The plant is widely cultivated in Hawaii, both for its appearance in landscape and interiors, and for cut foliage.^[4]

Male cone, new
Male cone, old
Young shoots
Seed
Collected seeds
Young plant as seen in forest
Leaf

Use as food

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]^[5]

After the final soaking, the seeds are dried and ground into flour. The flour is used to make tortillas, tamales, soup and porridge.

Lytico-bodig disease

The plant was thought to be linked with the degenerative disease lytico-bodig on the island of Guam; however, the cycad native to Guam has since been recognised as a separate species, Cycas micronesica, by K.D. Hill in 1994.

Chemistry

Leaflets of C. circinalis contain biflavonoids such as (2S, 2′′S)-2,3,2′′,3′′-tetrahydro-4′,4′′′-di-O-methylamentoflavone (tetrahydroisoginkgetin).^[6]

References

^ Varghese, A.; Krishnamurthy, V.; Garnesan, R. & Manu, K. (2010). "Cycas circinalis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2010: e.T42089A10627275. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
^ Lindstrom, Anders; Hill, Kenneth; Stanberg, Leonie (15 February 2008). "The genus Cycas (Cycadaceae) in The Philippines". Telopea. 12: 119–145. doi:10.7751/telopea20085805.
^ Lindstrom, Anders; Hill, Kenneth; Stanberg, Leonie (26 October 2009). "The genus Cycas (Cycadaceae) in Indonesia". Telopea. 12 (3): 385–418. doi:10.7751/telopea20095826.
^ Iwata, Ruth Y.; Rauch, Fred D. (October 1988). "King and Queen Sago". University of Hawaii. hdl:10125/6011. Retrieved September 24, 2012.
^ Spatz, Maria (October 1969). "TOXIC AND CARCINOGENIC ALKYLATING AGENTS FROM CYCADS". Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. 163 (2): 848–859. doi:10.1111/j.1749-6632.1969.tb24905.x. ISSN 0077-8923.
^ Phytochemical Investigation of Cycas circinalis and Cycas revoluta Leaflets: Moderately Active Antibacterial Biflavonoids. Abeer Moawad, Mona Hetta, Jordan K. Zjawiony, Melissa R. Jacob, Mohamed Hifnawy, Jannie P. J. Marais and Daneel Ferreira, Planta Med., 2010, 76(8), pages 796-802, doi:10.1055/s-0029-1240743

External links

[IUCN-1] Varghese, A.; Krishnamurthy, V.; Garnesan, R. & Manu, K. (2010). "Cycas circinalis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2010: e.T42089A10627275. Retrieved 26 June 2022.

[Anders-2] Lindstrom, Anders; Hill, Kenneth; Stanberg, Leonie (15 February 2008). "The genus Cycas (Cycadaceae) in The Philippines". Telopea. 12: 119–145. doi:10.7751/telopea20085805.

[Anders2-3] Lindstrom, Anders; Hill, Kenneth; Stanberg, Leonie (26 October 2009). "The genus Cycas (Cycadaceae) in Indonesia". Telopea. 12 (3): 385–418. doi:10.7751/telopea20095826.

[4] Iwata, Ruth Y.; Rauch, Fred D. (October 1988). "King and Queen Sago". University of Hawaii. hdl:10125/6011. Retrieved September 24, 2012.

[5] Spatz, Maria (October 1969). "TOXIC AND CARCINOGENIC ALKYLATING AGENTS FROM CYCADS". Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. 163 (2): 848–859. doi:10.1111/j.1749-6632.1969.tb24905.x. ISSN 0077-8923.

[6] Phytochemical Investigation of Cycas circinalis and Cycas revoluta Leaflets: Moderately Active Antibacterial Biflavonoids. Abeer Moawad, Mona Hetta, Jordan K. Zjawiony, Melissa R. Jacob, Mohamed Hifnawy, Jannie P. J. Marais and Daneel Ferreira, Planta Med., 2010, 76(8), pages 796-802, doi:10.1055/s-0029-1240743

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v t e Non-timber forest products
Animal products	Furs Honey pine Wild game
Berries / tree fruit	Banana Bilberry Binukaw Blackberry Blueberry Breadfruit Cocoa bean Coconut Durian Gambooge Huckleberry Jackfruit Juniper berry Lingonberry Raspberry Strawberry Tamarind Woodland strawberry
Edible plants / roots	Betel Fiddlehead ferns Heart of palm Mahuwa flowers Sago palm queen Sassafras filé powder root beer Saw palmetto Wild ginseng Wild onions Bear garlic Canada onion Crow garlic Twincrest onion Pacific mountain onion Ramps
Mushrooms	Bare-toothed russula Bay bolete Birch bolete Cep Chanterelle Honey mushroom Lingzhi (reishi) Matsutake Meadow mushroom Morel Oyster mushroom Parasol mushroom Red cap Saffron milk cap Slippery jack Truffle Yellow knight
Nuts spices	Allspice Areca nut Bay leaf Black pepper Brazil nut Cinnamon Clove Hazelnut Malva nut Nutmeg Pine nut Vanilla
Oil waxes	Allanblackia Babassu Bacuri Candlenut Capuacu Carnauba Chaulmoogra (Hydnocarpus wightiana) Cocoa butter Eucalyptol Eucalyptus Illipe Japan wax Kokum Kombo Kpangnan Kusum Mafura Mahua Mango butter Murumuru Nagkesar Palm (kernel) Phulwara Pilu Pongamia Sal-seed (Shorea robusta) Sandalwood Shea butter Tamanu Tea-seed Tea-tree Tucuma Ucuuba Vateria indica
Resins	Benzoin Birch tar Camphor Creosote Frankincense Gamboge Kauri Lacquer Mastic Myrrh Pine tar Pitch Rosin Turpentine Varnish
Sap / gum / etc.	Birch syrup Chicle chewing gum Coconut sugar Date sugar Fruit syrup Gum arabic Gutta-percha Kino Latex Maple sugar Maple syrup Palm sugar Palm wine akpeteshie ogogoro Rubber Spruce gum
Other	Amadou Bamboo edible musical instruments textiles Birch bark Birch beer Cork Ferns Forage Gambier Moss Natural dyes henna Peat Quinine Rattan Shellac Tanbark tannin Tendu leaves Thatching Vegetable ivory Willow bark
Related	Dehesa (Iberian agroforestry) Forest farming / gardening Honey hunting Indian forest produce Mushroom hunting Naval stores Resin extraction Rubber tapping Wildcrafting
Category Commons

Queen sago

In Kerala
Conservation status
Endangered (IUCN 3.1)^[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Gymnospermae
Division:	Cycadophyta
Class:	Cycadopsida
Order:	Cycadales
Family:	Cycadaceae
Genus:	Cycas
Species:	C. circinalis
Binomial name
*Cycas circinalis* L.