Common name:
Chestnut dioon, Palma de la virgen

Origin: Mexico (San Louis Potosi), Sierra Madre Oriental from Veracruz to the Nuevo Leon. It commonly resides in tropical deciduous thorn forests and oak woodlands

Foliage: pinnate grayish leaves which measures around 135 cm (4 ft). The leaflets are wider and longer on the ‘Rio Verde’ than on the regular edule. It lacks spines on the borders of leaflets

Exposure: partial shade to full sun

Growth rate: very, very slow

Height: 2 à 3 meter / 6 – 9 feet

Hardiness: -9°C / 15,8°F

Culture: Fresh seeds germinate very well, some even after a few days! Important here is enough heat / humidity. The difficulty is the prevention of molding. As the seeds have to be laid on the ground, the germination process can be well followed, which makes it even more interesting. For a detailed sowing instructions for the Dioon, please see Cycas and Dioon sowing instructions. The Dioon is an extremely slow grower. The flushing (production of a new crown), however, is a wonderful spectacle to follow. It can be kept in the full sun or partial shade. The hardiness is largely determined by the humidity. The drier you will keep it, the more cold he can tolerate. Planted in the garden it will need a very good protection to prevent him from freezing even if it is hardier than the Cycas. As a container plant you can take it insides during winter. Dioons are dioecious. Therefore, a male and female subject is required to obtain fertilized seeds.

Use: Little is known about this variety but some say it may become a species of its own: “Dioon rio verde”.

Germination, step by step

Sown on 24-02-2009

07-03-2009

20-03-2009

08-06-2009

16-06-2009

21-06-2009

25-06-2009

09-07-2009

26-07-2009

Common name:
Sago palm, King Sago, Sago cycad, Japanese sago palm

Origin: southern Japan

Foliage: shiny, dark green leaves, they grow into a feather-like rosette

Exposure: Full sun, partial shade

Growth rate: very slow

Height: 3 meter / 9 feet

Hardiness: -5°C / 23°F

Culture: Fresh seeds germinate very well, some even after a few days! Important here is enough heat / humidity. The difficulty is the prevention of molding. As the seeds have to be laid on the ground, the germination process can be well followed, which makes it even more interesting. For a detailed sowing instructions for the Cycas, please see Cycas and Dioon sowing instructions. The Cycas is a very slow grower. The flushing (production of a new crown), however, is a wonderful spectacle to follow. It can be kept in the full sun or partial shade. The hardiness is largely determined by the humidity. The drier you will keep it, the more cold he can tolerate. Planted in the garden it will need a very good protection to prevent him from freezing. As a container plant you can take it insides during winter. Cycas are dioecious. Therefore, a male and female subject is required to obtain fertilized seeds.

Use: The pith contains edible starch, and is used for making sago. Before use, the starch must be carefully washed to leach out toxins contained in the pith. Extracting edible starch from the sago cycad requires special care due to the poisonous nature of Cycads.

Germination, step by step

Sown on 24-02-2009

11-05-2009

26-05-2009

08-06-2009

16-06-2009

25-06-2009

30-06-2009

09-07-2009

11-08-2010