There is a group of cycads that every collector covets but almost no one in Europe or temperate North America can grow well. The Australian blue cycads — Cycas couttsiana, Cycas cairnsiana, Cycas cupida — along with tropical Asian species like Cycas siamensis “Silver”, are among the most beautiful plants in the genus Cycas. On their own roots, in a European greenhouse or conservatory, they sulk. They grow agonisingly slowly — if they grow at all. They rot at the first hint of cool, wet conditions. Many collectors have tried. Most have failed.
French cycad specialist Simon Lavaud, who runs the Cycadales nursery (cycadales.eu), has developed a practical solution that transforms the prospects for these difficult species: grafting them onto Cycas revoluta rootstock. In the descriptions of the grafted plants he sells, Lavaud states that they grow five times faster than ungrafted plants and are as tolerant of winter rot as Cycas revoluta itself, while warning that the rootstock does not pass on its cold hardiness.
The problem: why Australian and tropical Cycas fail in European cultivation
Species like Cycas couttsiana (the blue cycad of Queensland) evolved in tropical or subtropical Australia, where summers are long, hot, and wet, and winters are warm and dry. Transplant them to a European greenhouse — even a heated one in southern France, Italy, or Spain — and several problems compound:
Insufficient heat accumulation. European summers, even in the Mediterranean, are shorter and cooler than those of tropical Queensland. The plants receive fewer growing degree-days per year, and their metabolism — already slow by angiosperm standards — slows further. Growth stalls.
Root rot in cool, wet conditions. This is the killer. The root systems of tropical Cycas species evolved for warm, well-drained substrates that never experience prolonged cool moisture. In a European pot, even under shelter, the combination of lower winter temperatures and a substrate that stays moist for days triggers Phytophthora and Fusarium root rot. The roots fail, the caudex softens, and the plant dies — often after years of careful nursing, which makes the loss all the more painful.
The vicious cycle of slow growth and vulnerability. A plant that grows slowly produces less root mass, which means less resilience to stress, which means more vulnerability to rot, which further slows growth. On their own roots, many Australian Cycas in European conditions are locked in a slow decline that masquerades as mere stasis.
The solution: a Cycas revoluta rootstock suited to the European climate
The idea behind Simon Lavaud’s approach is simple. In his words, the Cycas revoluta rootstock is perfectly suited to the European climate, and plants grafted onto it tolerate winter rot as well as Cycas revoluta does, so there is no need to worry about overwatering when temperatures fall. In his 2021 note on growing Australian Cycas in Europe, he explains why this matters: watering an Australian Cycas on its own roots in cool weather carries a very high risk of root rot.
By grafting a tropical or subtropical scion (the desired species) onto a Cycas revoluta rootstock, the grafter gives the scion access to a root system that is perfectly adapted to the conditions it will face. The scion brings the beauty — the blue foliage of Cycas couttsiana, the silver leaves of Cycas siamensis “Silver” — while the rootstock provides the engine: robust, rot-resistant roots that drive vigorous nutrient and water uptake even in suboptimal conditions.
What Lavaud reports
Simon Lavaud describes the advantages of grafting in the listings of the grafted plants offered on cycadales.eu (pages consulted on 24 October 2026). He does not say how the comparisons were made, so his figures are a grower’s observations rather than the results of a published trial:
Faster growth. According to Lavaud, grafted plants grow five times faster than ungrafted ones. To show what they can become in optimal conditions, his listings include photographs of a grafted plant from his own collection two years older than the one offered.
Tolerance of winter wet. Lavaud writes that grafted plants are as tolerant of winter rot as Cycas revoluta. On their own roots, he adds, Australian Cycas are almost impossible to grow in a European climate, even in Italy or Spain: at best they survive but grow extremely slowly, and planted out they rot in the winter rain.
Ease of care. Lavaud describes grafted plants as very easy to grow and advises growing them like Cycas revoluta, adding that results are best in warm, humid conditions, in a rich but free-draining mix.
Species offered grafted
When consulted on 24 October 2026, Lavaud’s catalogue listed grafted plants of Cycas couttsiana, Cycas siamensis “Silver”, Cycas cairnsiana, Cycas arnhemica and Cycas candida, each on a Cycas revoluta rootstock and supplied in a 3-litre pot. Two of them are described in more detail:
Cycas couttsiana — which Lavaud calls one of the bluest Cycas of Australia, from a habitat with marked seasons and high temperatures. His 2021 note ranks it among the “difficult” Australian species in European cultivation.
Cycas siamensis “Silver” — a Thai plant whose mature leaves, Lavaud writes, are covered with a fine white down that gives them a silvery look. He describes it as difficult and extremely slow-growing even in Thailand, and almost impossible to grow in a European climate on its own roots.
Neither Lavaud’s note nor his catalogue claims that every Cycas can be grafted onto Cycas revoluta: the species above are simply those he offers grafted. Other Australian species that his 2021 note ranks as of “moderate” difficulty, such as Cycas ophiolitica (which, he notes, tolerates slightly cooler conditions) and Cycas media, were not among the grafted plants listed on his site when it was consulted.
The limitations — what grafting does not solve
Honesty about the technique’s boundaries is essential. Simon Lavaud lists the drawbacks himself, and any grower considering this approach should understand them before starting:
No transfer of cold hardiness. Lavaud states plainly that the rootstock does not pass on its cold hardiness, so a grafted plant must still be kept frost-free. For his grafted Australian Cycas, he indicates that plants can tolerate a few hours at −1 to −2 °C (30.2 to 28.4 °F) if temperatures rise quickly afterwards, but that frost-free conditions are preferable.
Rootstock suckering. According to Lavaud, the Cycas revoluta rootstock tends to produce offsets (pups), which have to be cut off fairly often. This is a recurring maintenance task, not a one-time operation.
Iron feeding. Lavaud points out that Cycas revoluta is hungry for iron, and advises giving grafted plants iron chelate (or dried blood) at least twice a year.
Greenhouse plants. The grafted plants Lavaud offers are greenhouse-raised and supplied in pots, and he warns that they must not be put in full sun before being acclimatised. He gives no results for grafted plants grown in open ground, so growers should not assume that a grafted plant will perform in the same way planted out in the garden.
The grafting technique in principle
Cycad grafting follows the same fundamental principles as grafting in fruit trees or ornamental conifers: a scion (a section of the desired species containing the growing point) is joined to a rootstock (the root system of a compatible species) so that the vascular tissues unite and the scion grows on the rootstock’s roots. Lavaud does not publish his own grafting protocol: what follows is the general principle, not a description of his method.
The general approach involves selecting a healthy, well-established Cycas revoluta rootstock of appropriate size (the grafted plants Lavaud offers sit on rootstocks of about 5 to 8 cm), preparing the scion from a young plant or offset of the desired species, making clean cuts to expose the vascular tissue of both rootstock and scion, joining them with firm contact and binding, and maintaining the grafted plant in warm, humid conditions until the union heals and new growth emerges — typically several months.
The technique requires practice, patience, and a willingness to accept a failure rate — not every graft takes. Beginners should expect a learning curve and should start with expendable material.
Implications for the cycad hobby
The significance of this technique extends beyond the individual species tested. If Cycas revoluta proves suitable as a rootstock for more of the genus — something the published evidence does not yet establish — it could open the door to growing dozens of rare and beautiful Cycas species that are currently all but impossible for collectors outside the tropics. The blue cycads of Australia, the caudiciform species of Southeast Asia, the bipinnate cycads of the China-Vietnam karst — all of these could potentially benefit from the vigor, rot resistance, and adaptability of a revoluta root system.
For the conservation-minded collector, there is an additional benefit: grafted plants of rare species can be grown more successfully, which reduces the pressure to collect from the wild and increases the ex situ population of threatened taxa. A thriving grafted Cycas couttsiana in a European greenhouse is a small contribution to the survival of a species under pressure in its native habitat.
The technique also has commercial potential. Lavaud presents his grafted blue Cycas as the first to be offered for sale, and as an exclusive of his nursery, Cycadales (cycadales.eu).
Where to learn more
Simon Lavaud’s nursery, Cycadales, offers grafted Cycas for sale and supplies a care sheet with each plant: https://cycadales.eu. His note on the basics of growing Australian Cycas in a European climate (2021, in French) covers their habitat, substrate, watering and feeding: https://cycadales.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Bases-de-la-culture-des-Cycas-australiens.pdf
For the broader context of cycad cultivation, including species profiles for many of the species discussed here, see our comprehensive cycad section on this site.