Cycas divyadarshanii

Cycas divyadarshanii is a tall, tree-like cycad of mainland South-East Asia, ranging from Manipur in north-east India and Myanmar to Yunnan, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam, where it grows in open, dry hill forest. Described in 2020 by Jibankumar Singh Khuraijam and Rita Singh, this member of the genus Cycas brings together the eastern populations long known as Cycas pectinata, so many plants grown and seeds sold under that name in fact belong to this species. It has not yet been assessed by the IUCN.

Key facts about Cycas divyadarshanii

  • Accepted name: Cycas divyadarshanii Khuraijam & Rita Singh (2020), accepted by The World List of Cycads (version 2026.08.15) and, according to a search-engine extract, by POWO, which gives it a range limited to Manipur
  • Former names and synonyms: no formal synonym; plants long identified as Cycas pectinata (see Taxonomy)
  • Family: Cycadaceae, order Cycadales
  • Common names: no English name attested; yendang (Manipuri) and mondang (Burmese) according to the original description
  • Natural range: India (Manipur), Myanmar, China (Yunnan), Thailand (north and west), Laos and Vietnam (central and southern highlands)
  • IUCN status: not evaluated (NE), confirmed by the Red List data relayed by GBIF; the authors of the species propose Vulnerable
  • CITES and other protection: CITES Appendix II (seeds exempt under annotation #4); Annex B in the European Union
  • Documented hardiness: no cold data (see Cold hardiness)
  • Light and soil: open, dry deciduous forest, between 770 and 1,400 m in Manipur
  • Habit and adult size: cylindrical trunk up to 10 m, single or branched; leaves 1 to 2.2 m long
  • In the UK, US and Australia: Montgomery Botanical Center (Florida) lists it; no British or Australian garden record found under this name
  • Toxicity: no data for the species; treat it as poisonous, like all Cycas (see Toxicity and precautions)

How to recognise Cycas divyadarshanii

Without cones, Cycas divyadarshanii can hardly be told from the other cycads with comb-like megasporophylls (section Indosinenses). The decisive character, according to its authors, is the male cone: large and cylindrical to ovoid, made of long, narrow microsporophylls (the scales of the male cone) ending in a long spine curved inwards, without the raised thickening that marks the upper face of the microsporophylls of Cycas pectinata. In detail, after the original description:

  • Trunk: tree-like and cylindrical, up to 10 m tall, single or branched.
  • Leaves: dark green or bright green, 100 to 220 cm long, with 100 to 230 pairs of hairless leaflets spaced 6 to 10 mm apart; petiole 17 to 36 cm, with 12 to 22 spines on each side.
  • Median leaflets: straight to sickle-shaped, 16 to 23 cm long and 6 to 9 mm wide, inserted at 50 to 60°, ending in a tiny point, with recurved or rolled margins.
  • Cataphylls (the scale leaves protecting the crown): narrowly triangular, 3 to 5 cm by 1.2 to 2 cm, brown-felted, with a soft tip.
  • Male cones: cylindrical-ovoid to spindle-shaped, yellow (green when young), 26 to 50 cm long and 15 to 19 cm wide; microsporophylls 50 to 62 mm by 17 to 24 mm, with an apical spine 20 to 42 mm long.
  • Megasporophylls (the fertile leaves of female plants): crowded, densely felted, 14 to 20 cm long; sterile blade deltoid-ovate to almost circular, 5 to 9 cm by 8 to 10 cm, deeply comb-like, with 23 to 34 lateral lobes; apical spine 3 to 6 cm.
  • Seeds: 2 to 6 per megasporophyll, often obovoid and flattened, 3.6 to 4.6 cm by 3.9 to 4.5 cm, yellow turning orange to dark brown; fleshy coat with a thick fibrous layer and no spongy layer.

The authors also note differences in leaflet anatomy (longer palisade cells, fewer and scattered idioblasts, slightly rolled blade) and in pollen (elliptical grains with smaller cavities in the outer wall) compared with Cycas pectinata. In 2007, Osborne and colleagues had already observed that the Vietnamese “Cycas pectinata” differed from its neighbours in its very large, ovoid male cones with long, narrow microsporophylls.

Hybrids

No hybrid is documented for this species.

Possible confusion

  • Cycas pectinata, from the west of the Indo-Burmese ranges (Assam, Meghalaya, Sikkim, West Bengal, Bihar, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh): trunk up to 16 m, shorter and broader microsporophylls (45 to 60 mm by 20 to 32 mm) bearing a raised thickening, larger megasporophylls (11 to 25 cm). The Brahmaputra and Barak valleys separate the two species.
  • Cycas siamensis and Cycas clivicola, other members of section Indosinenses found in Myanmar and Thailand, which the authors cite as close relatives. As in the whole group, plants without cones are hard to identify, and Khuraijam and Singh point out that the smooth trunk of large Cycas pectinata can be mistaken for that of Cycas clivicola.

Taxonomy

Cycas divyadarshanii is accepted by The World List of Cycads. POWO, the nomenclatural authority used by this site, also accepts it according to a search-engine extract (its page could not be consulted directly), but gives it Manipur (“Assam”) only, whereas The World List of Cycads and the original description extend it to Myanmar, Yunnan, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam. How POWO treats the South-East Asian populations, which may still sit under Cycas pectinata there, could not be checked.

The species was described in 2020 by Jibankumar Singh Khuraijam and Rita Singh, in the proceedings of the 10th International Conference on Cycad Biology (Medellín, 2015), published in the journal Cycads (volume 5, pages 59 to 76). After more than ten years of field and herbarium work, the authors concluded that Cycas pectinata, described from Assam in 1826, is confined to the west of the Indo-Burmese ranges, and described the populations further east as Cycas divyadarshanii, with a type from Manipur. They base the split on the morphology of the male cones, leaflet anatomy, pollen and different pollinating beetles: Cycadophila assamensis is restricted to the Cycas pectinata of Assam, whereas Cycadophila yunnanensis, found on the cycads of South-East Asia, was found on the plants of Manipur.

In practice, this means that most descriptions, photographs and seed lots of “Cycas pectinata” from Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar or Yunnan now refer to Cycas divyadarshanii according to The World List of Cycads. The species belongs to section Indosinenses, defined by deeply comb-like megasporophylls. The authors see a diversification in Yunnan and Shan State, followed by migrations towards the Himalaya, Thailand and Vietnam; this is a hypothesis, not tested by a phylogeny.

Etymology and history

The epithet honours Divya Darshan Pant (1919–2001), professor at the University of Allahabad, a specialist in cycads and a palaeobotanist, author of a monograph on Cycas (2002).

The type is a male plant collected by Khuraijam in November 2007 in the Sadar Hills, Manipur (Khuraijam 38522, herbarium of Indraprastha University, IPUH). The split had been foreshadowed: Yang and Meerow (1996) saw Cycas pectinata as a complex containing several undescribed taxa, and Nagalingum and colleagues (2011) distinguished in their phylogeny two unnamed lineages, “Cycas pectinata A” and “B”, without Indian plants; how they match the new species has not been established.

Common names

No English name is attested. The original description gives yendang in Manipuri and mondang in Burmese. In Thailand, the 2019 report of the Department of Agriculture calls ปรงเขา (prong khao, “mountain cycad”) the plants it names Cycas pectinata; under the classification of The World List of Cycads, these Thai plants should belong to Cycas divyadarshanii, although the report does not say so.

In the wild

In Manipur, Cycas divyadarshanii grows in open, dry deciduous forest between 770 and 1,400 m, according to the original description. The World List of Cycads also records it in Myanmar, Yunnan, Laos, northern and western Thailand (Chiang Mai, Kanchanaburi, Mae Hong Son, Phetchabun, Phrae, Sukhothai) and central and southern Vietnam (Binh Dinh, Gia Lai, Kon Tum, Lam Dong, Ninh Thuan, Phu Yen, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai). According to the authors, the region has hot, humid summers, a strong monsoon and mild winters.

The beetle Cycadophila yunnanensis, the presumed pollinator of South-East Asian cycads, lives in its cones in Manipur (Skelley and colleagues 2017, cited in the original description). Phenology and seed dispersers are not documented for the species in the strict sense.

Conservation status and regulation

Cycas divyadarshanii has not been evaluated by the IUCN (NE), according to The World List of Cycads and the Red List data relayed by GBIF (consulted on 21 October 2026); its authors propose the category Vulnerable, without giving the criteria. The assessment of Cycas pectinata (Vulnerable, 2010) covered the species in the broad sense, and therefore these eastern populations too. In Thailand, the 2019 report of the Department of Agriculture applies that IUCN Vulnerable status (2010) to the Thai “Cycas pectinata” and reports, for all the country’s Cycas, collection from the wild and the sale of wild plants and suckers online, in local markets and at border crossings.

Like every species in the genus except Cycas beddomei, Cycas divyadarshanii is listed in CITES Appendix II, through the listing of the family Cycadaceae, included since 4 February 1977. The listing carries annotation #4 (CoP20 version, in force since 5 March 2026): seeds, pollen, seedlings or tissue cultures obtained in vitro and transported in sterile containers, and cut flowers of artificially propagated plants, are not subject to CITES, whereas international trade in the plants themselves requires an export permit. Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States apply CITES through their own national legislation; in the European Union the species is in Annex B of Regulation (EC) No 338/97, whose annexes in force are set by Commission Regulation (EU) 2026/1383, applicable since 29 June 2026. Species+, the official CITES database, does not yet list this name, published in 2020 (search of 3 October 2026): protection follows from the listing of the whole family, which covers every species, named or not. This general information does not replace the official texts: check the rules in force before buying or exchanging plants, ask the seller for proof of origin and prefer plants raised from cultivated seed.

Growing Cycas divyadarshanii

In short: no institution has published growing advice for Cycas divyadarshanii under this name, and the only reports come from growers who raised Burmese seed sold as Cycas pectinata. They describe a plant that is not difficult once established, that tolerates heat and humidity, but that dislikes a dry root ball.

Outdoor and in-ground cultivation

No planting in the open ground is documented under this name. Its native climate, with hot, humid summers, a strong monsoon and mild winters, suggests a tropical or warm subtropical garden, such as those of South Florida, where Montgomery Botanical Center grows its cycads in the open; this is a deduction from its range, not a documented result. On the French forum Fous de palmiers, the collector who had brought back the Burmese seed, and who has seen the plant in its habitat, notes that it alternates between dry seasons and heavy rain in the wild and tolerates high humidity provided the air moves and the soil drains freely.

Container cultivation

In cooler countries the plant can only be grown in a pot, kept warm in winter. The same French grower reports that the species copes with heat but that the leaves can scorch in an overheated glasshouse, and advises never letting the root ball dry out in hot weather, reminding readers that cycads “are not succulents”. In 2014 he described it as “a very pretty cycad, not very hard to grow” once the plant has reached a good size. The Jardin zoologique tropical at La Londe-les-Maures, in the south of France, has published no observation on this species.

In cultivation in the UK, US and Australia

  • United States: the online catalogue of Montgomery Botanical Center (Coral Gables, Florida) lists Cycas divyadarshanii under 18 accession numbers, which date from 1993 (one), 1995 (nine) and 2003 (eight) (catalogue consulted on 21 October 2026). BGCI PlantSearch lists no other garden.
  • United Kingdom and Australia: no record under this name in BGCI PlantSearch, the online catalogues of the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney and the Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan, or the inventory of cycads in British, American and Australian gardens compiled for this site. Plants grown as Cycas pectinata in these countries may belong to either species: only their wild origin can tell.

No report from an English-speaking grower could be read; PalmTalk and Dave’s Garden could not be consulted.

Propagation

Like all Cycas, Cycas divyadarshanii is dioecious: a male and a female plant are needed for fertile seed. Reports on the French forum Fous de palmiers (2013–2014) give some pointers for the Burmese seed: a spongy fleshy coat that was hard to remove with a knife; germination in bags of moist peat at 25 to 28 °C (77 to 82 °F); seedlings appearing over several months, up to a year depending on how mature the embryo was; and many seeds collected unripe that split without germinating. A grower in Finistère, Brittany, obtained in 2014 a seedling with two stems from a single seed. Seeds are exempt from CITES under annotation #4.

Pests and diseases

No pest or disease specific to the species is documented. Cycad scales, including the Asian cycad scale, Aulacaspis yasumatsui, can affect all cultivated species.

Cold hardiness

No cold-tolerance data exist for Cycas divyadarshanii. The winters of its range are mild, and no planting in the open ground is documented outside the tropics.

European experience

No growing result has been published in Europe, in the open ground or in a pot. Searches of the French forum Fous de palmiers and the Italian forum Tropicamente found no cold report for this species, and no dated frost event concerns it. The plants raised from the 2013 Burmese seed were grown indoors, in a propagator or a glasshouse, and none of their growers has published a minimum temperature survived.

United Kingdom, United States and Australia

No cold reading or dated growing report was found. Reports published under the name Cycas pectinata cannot be attributed to this species without knowing the origin of the plants. No USDA zone can be given.

Toxicity and precautions

No toxicity analysis specific to Cycas divyadarshanii has been found. The risk is, however, well documented in the genus: Cycas tissues, and the seeds above all, contain cycasin, which is converted during digestion into methylazoxymethanol, toxic to the liver and nervous system, along with a neurotoxic amino acid, BMAA. The ASPCA lists the sago palm (Cycas revoluta) as poisonous to dogs, cats and horses. Until proven otherwise, treat the plant as poisonous: wear gloves to clean the seeds, and keep seeds and leaves out of reach of children and pets. If any part is swallowed, contact a poison centre, a doctor or a vet straight away.

Traditional uses

No use is documented under this name. In Manipur, Laishram and colleagues (2015) studied the fruits of the local cycad, referred to Cycas pectinata, which the maiba and maibi traditional healers use; under the 2020 classification, these plants should belong to Cycas divyadarshanii. Such preparations are not safe, given the toxicity of the seeds.

Frequently asked questions

Are Cycas divyadarshanii and Cycas pectinata the same plant?

No, under the current classification. Since 2020, Cycas pectinata refers to the populations west of the Indo-Burmese ranges, and Cycas divyadarshanii to those further east, from Manipur to Vietnam.

Is my “Cycas pectinata” really Cycas divyadarshanii?

Probably, if it comes from Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos or Yunnan. Only its origin, or a male cone, can settle the question.

How can the two species be told apart?

By the male cone. Cycas divyadarshanii has long, narrow microsporophylls without a thickening on the upper face; the leaves are too similar to be of any help.

Who is it named after?

Divya Darshan Pant (1919–2001), an Indian botanist who specialised in cycads and fossil plants.

Is it endangered?

It has not yet been assessed by the IUCN. Its authors consider it Vulnerable, and collection of wild cycads is reported in Thailand.

Can it be grown outdoors in the UK?

No evidence supports it. It lives in a region with mild winters, no cold data exist, and it should be kept frost-free in a pot.

Is it poisonous?

It must be assumed so. No analysis exists for the species, but all the cycads studied contain serious toxins, especially in the seeds.

Further reading on Succulentes

Sources

Reference sites

Bibliography

  • Khuraijam, J.S. & Singh, R. (2020). Taxonomic status of the Cycas pectinata complex. Cycads 5(1): 59–76. [Original description: description, habitat, vernacular names, proposed status, comparison with Cycas pectinata; full text consulted (PDF on The World List of Cycads).]
  • Osborne, R., Hill, K.D., Nguyen, H.T. & Phan, K.L. (2007). Cycads of Vietnam. Brisbane and Cape Town. [Cited after Khuraijam and Singh (2020); not consulted.]
  • Skelley, P. et al. (2017). Review of Cycadophila Xu, Tang & Skelley (Coleoptera: Erotylidae: Pharaxonothinae) inhabiting Cycas (Cycadaceae) in Asia. Zootaxa 4267(1): 1–63. [Cone beetles; cited after Khuraijam and Singh (2020), not consulted.]
  • Yang, S.L. & Meerow, A.W. (1996). The Cycas pectinata (Cycadaceae) complex: genetic structure and gene flow. International Journal of Plant Sciences 157: 468–483. doi:10.1086/297364 [Cited after Khuraijam and Singh (2020); not consulted.]
  • Nagalingum, N.S. et al. (2011). Recent synchronous radiation of a living fossil. Science 334: 796–799. doi:10.1126/science.1209926 [Lineages “Cycas pectinata A and B”; cited after Khuraijam and Singh (2020).]
  • Laishram, S., Sheikh, Y., Moirangthem, D.S. et al. (2015). Anti-diabetic molecules from Cycas pectinata Griff. traditionally used by the Maiba-Maibi. Phytomedicine 22(1): 23–26. doi:10.1016/j.phymed.2014.10.007 [Use by the traditional healers of Manipur, under the name Cycas pectinata; abstract consulted.]
  • Haynes, J.L. (2022). Etymological compendium of cycad names. Phytotaxa 550(1): 1–31. doi:10.11646/phytotaxa.550.1.1 [Source of the etymologies given by The World List of Cycads; not consulted directly.]
  • Calonje, M., Stevenson, D.W. & Osborne, R. (2026). The World List of Cycads, version 2026.08.15. Montgomery Botanical Center, Coral Gables. doi:10.5281/zenodo.21958524 [Reference checklist; consulted directly.]