How to Grow and Care for Sago Palm

For an impressive dose of prehistoric drama, consider sago palm.

The Cycad genus in the Cycadaceae family includes over 100 species, with the most common being Cycas revoluta or the king sago, the main focus of this article.

Like ferns, these giant beauties have been around since before the dinosaurs, and their stunning display is truly evocative of an age long gone.

In fact, they’re sometimes referred to as “living fossils,” dating back to the early Mesozoic Era without much change since then.

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Dark green and lush with sturdy foliage, if you live in a warm climate zone or you’re looking for a new addition to your indoor garden, this plant is for you.

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While “palm” is part of their common name, sago palms are not really palms at all. They’re cycads, a group of seed plants with ancient roots related to cone-bearing conifers.

Other names for this type of sago palm include king sago, palm cycad, or Japanese funeral palm.

Native to the southernmost island of Japan, the leaves were traditionally used in funeral arrangements in the Land of the Rising Sun.

C. circinalis, or queen sago, is another common species that is native to India. It’s commonly grown in parts of Asia and Hawaii.

This is not to be confused with C. micronesica, another species that is found in Micronesia, Palau, and Guam. This species gained notoriety when it was found to be linked to Lytico-Bodig disease, which is similar to ALS.

The seeds of C. micronesica were a traditional food source on Guam until the 1960s, but they contain a