Indian Cycas Under Severe Threat

Cycads are an ancient group of plants which have survived three mass extinctions. They are dioecious, perennial, palm-like trees or shrubs with woody trunk above the ground or subterranean. They are a relict group of seed plants that evolved in the late Carboniferous or early Permian around 300 million years ago. With the ever-increasing interest in cycad taxonomy over last two decades, the number of new species of cycad has increased significantly.