Cycas beddomei
Cycas beddomei is an endangered cycad native to a small area in the Tirumala Hills of Andhra Pradesh, eastern India, where it grows in hot, dry scrubland. The plant has a single upright trunk with a crown of 20–30 leaves. Each leaf is about 90 cm long and pinnate, with 50–100 pairs of leaflets that are 10–17.5 cm long and 3–4 mm wide, angled forward. The leaf stalks have tiny spines.
Male and female plants produce cones. Female cones are open, with 15–20 cm long sporophylls and two ovules; they appear from November to December and mature from March to May. Male cones are solitary, ovoid, about 30 cm long and 7.5 cm wide, with an apical spine. A notable feature of this species is a fleshy layer between the sarcotesta and the sclerotesta that helps supply water to the seed, an adaptation to its dry habitat. Seeds have no dormancy.
Cycas beddomei forms small clumps via shoots, mainly on male plants. The plant is fairly fire resistant, though seeds and seedlings are vulnerable to grass fires. The male cones are used in Ayurvedic medicine to treat rheumatoid arthritis and muscle pains.
Named after botanist Richard Henry Beddome, Cycas beddomei is endangered due to overharvesting for medicinal use and shrinking populations. It is listed as Endangered (IUCN 3.1) and is in CITES Appendix I.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 02:58 (CET).