Cycas nitida

Cycas nitida is a tree-like cycad of the coastal forests of northern and eastern Luzon, in the Philippines, and of nearby islands. This species of the genus Cycas was described in 2008 by Ken Hill and Anders Lindström, who named it for its dark green, extremely glossy leaves. Unusually, its type is a plant grown in the Sydney botanic garden from seed collected in the wild. Its seeds contain a spongy layer that allows them to float, as in the cycads of the Cycas rumphii group. The IUCN lists it as Endangered.

Key facts about Cycas nitida

  • Accepted name: Cycas nitida K.D.Hill & A.Lindstr. (2008), accepted by The World List of Cycads (version 2026.08.15) and by GBIF; POWO could not be consulted
  • Former names and synonyms: none
  • Family: Cycadaceae, order Cycadales
  • Common names: no common name attested, in English or in a language of the Philippines
  • Natural range: Philippines, northern and eastern Luzon and nearby islands; The World List of Cycads cites Albay, Cagayan, Quezon and Northern Samar
  • IUCN status: Endangered (EN A2ac), assessment by A. Lindström and E.M.G. Agoo dated 2020 (Red List version 2023-1)
  • CITES and other protection: CITES Appendix II (seeds exempt under annotation #4); Annex B in the European Union
  • Documented hardiness: no data (see Cold hardiness)
  • Light and soil: in the wild, coastal (littoral) forest; no published growing conditions
  • Habit and adult size: trunk aerial, height not given in the original description; leaves 1.5 to 1.8 m long
  • In the UK, US and Australia: plants raised in Sydney and in south-east Queensland from Rapu-Rapu seed (2006–2008); declared in BGCI by Marie Selby Botanical Gardens (Florida) under the provenance “Rapu Rapu”; no British record found
  • Toxicity: no data for the species; treat it as poisonous, like all Cycas (see Toxicity and precautions)

How to recognise Cycas nitida

The most obvious feature of Cycas nitida is its dark green, very glossy foliage, from which it takes its name. Lindström, Hill and Stanberg (2008) separate it from the other Philippine cycads by a combination of characters: highly glossy leaves, small male cones whose scales end in a long spine, megasporophylls with distinct lateral teeth and seeds with a spongy layer.

The trunk is aerial; its height is not given in the original description. The leaves are 1.5 to 1.8 m long, flat in section, with 160 to 200 leaflets. The hairless petiole, 30 to 60 cm long, is spiny along half its length. The median leaflets, strongly two-toned, measure 27 to 37 cm by 14 to 18 mm, with slightly recurved margins and a midrib raised on both surfaces. The cataphylls (the scale leaves that protect the growing point) are narrowly triangular, soft and hairy.

The male cones are spindle-shaped and orange, small for the genus: about 16 cm long and 4.5 cm in diameter. Each microsporophyll ends in a sharply upturned spine 13 to 23 mm long. The megasporophylls (the fertile leaves of female plants), 24 to 34 cm long and covered in brown down, carry only 2 to 4 hairless ovules; their lanceolate blade, 4.3 to 6 cm long, is edged with 8 to 16 sharp spines 3 to 5 mm long and ends in a spine 14 to 20 mm long. The seeds are flattened-ovoid, 55 to 66 mm by 45 to 50 mm; their fleshy coat is orange-brown, there is no fibrous layer, and the inside contains spongy tissue.

Hybrids

No hybrid is documented for this species.

Possible confusion

In the key to the Philippine cycads of Lindström, Hill and Stanberg (2008), Cycas nitida is the only one to combine broad, soft leaflets, megasporophylls with more than eight lateral spines and seeds with a thick spongy layer; it is also a coastal species. The neighbouring species in the key, which live in inland forest, have a thin spongy layer or none at all. Cycas vespertilio is told apart at a glance by its megasporophylls, which carry two broad, wing-like lateral lobes.

In gardens, the main risk of confusion comes from labelling: according to Lindström and Hill (2007), almost all plants in cultivation known as Cycas circinalis in fact belong to the Cycas rumphii complex, the cycads with floating seeds. Without cones or seeds, a young plant cannot be identified with certainty.

Taxonomy

Cycas nitida is a name accepted by The World List of Cycads and by GBIF; POWO could not be consulted. The species was described in 2008 in the revision of the Philippine cycads by Lindström, Hill and Stanberg (Telopea 12(1): 119–145), which also described four other new species: Cycas saxatilis, Cycas aenigma, Cycas vespertilio and Cycas lacrimans.

The authors place it in section Cycas, subsection Rumphiae, the group of cycads whose seeds have a layer of spongy tissue beneath the hard shell. This tissue lets the seeds float and favours their dispersal by sea, which would explain the taxonomic complexity of this widespread group, found from East Africa to the Pacific islands.

The original description contains an inconsistency: the Latin diagnosis says “fructus non spongiosus” (fruit not spongy), whereas the key (“thick spongy endotesta present”) and the English description (“spongy endotesta present”) describe a spongy layer. The placement in subsection Rumphiae and the key both support the description, which this page follows.

Etymology and history

The epithet comes from the Latin nitidus, “shining, glossy”, in reference to the extremely glossy leaves (Lindström et al. 2008; Haynes 2022).

Unusually, the type was not collected in the wild: it is a female plant grown in the Sydney botanic garden from seed from Rapu-Rapu Island, east of Luzon (holotype NSW 728768, 2006). The authors also studied male and female plants raised from the same seed at Burpengary, in south-east Queensland. Older collections had nevertheless been made in the wild: on Alabat Island (1926), in Tayabas province (now Quezon, 1908) and on Dalupiri Island, in the Babuyan group (1935).

Common names

No common name is attested for this species, in English or in a language of the Philippines, in the sources consulted.

In the wild

Cycas nitida occurs only in the Philippines. Lindström, Hill and Stanberg (2008) describe it as a species of the littoral forests of northern and eastern Luzon; The World List of Cycads cites the provinces of Albay, Cagayan, Quezon and Northern Samar, which extends the range to the eastern Visayas. Its presence on Polillo Island is reported without a voucher specimen.

Living by the sea exposes it to typhoons. Marler and Ferreras (2015) studied plants in four contrasting localities of the eastern Philippines that had been damaged by Typhoon Haiyan (November 2013): the damage caused severe changes in the plants’ phosphorus and potassium budgets, and the litter produced by the storm was rich and likely to decompose quickly. Pollination and phenology are not documented.

Conservation status and regulation

The IUCN lists Cycas nitida as Endangered (EN, criterion A2ac), in the assessment by A. Lindström and E.M.G. Agoo dated 2020 and published in version 2023-1 of the Red List; the Red List data relayed by GBIF confirm this category (consulted on 21 October 2026). Criterion A2 reflects a population reduction observed or estimated in the past, here linked to loss of habitat.

The assessment has hardened over time: in 2008 the authors of the species proposed only Near Threatened (NT), noting that its coastal sites were under severe pressure from population growth and development, and increasingly from aquaculture, and that the species, although probably not immediately threatened, was potentially vulnerable in the longer term.

Like every species in the genus except Cycas beddomei, Cycas nitida 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 exempt, 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, names the species and confirms this status (searches of 3 and 12 October 2026).

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 nitida

In short: Cycas nitida has been grown in Australia, where the plants used to describe it were raised from seed in Sydney and in south-east Queensland, and those plants produced male and female cones (Lindström et al. 2008). No growing advice has been published, however, and no grower’s report was found. As a plant of tropical coastal forest, it can be assumed to need warmth all year round; this is a deduction, not a published growing result.

Outdoor and in-ground cultivation

The only documented cultivation outside the Philippines is in eastern Australia: in the Sydney botanic garden, where the type plant and a male plant were grown, and at Burpengary, north of Brisbane, where plants of both sexes coned. The authors do not say whether these plants grew in the open or under glass, nor what minimum temperatures they experienced.

Container cultivation

In temperate climates it would be a plant for a pot under heated glass. No container-growing report has been found: searches of the French forum Fous de palmiers and the Italian forum Tropicamente return only other plants with the epithet nitida, and 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

In Australia, the original description records plants raised from Rapu-Rapu seed in the Sydney botanic garden (female plant collected as the type in 2006, and a male plant) and at Burpengary, in south-east Queensland (Lindström et al. 2008). The species does not, however, appear in the online catalogue of the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney consulted for the inventory compiled for this site (catalogue updated on 1 October 2026), nor in the other Australian sources checked, so its presence there today is not confirmed.

In the United States, BGCI PlantSearch lists Cycas nitida at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota, Florida, with the provenance “Rapu Rapu” (search of 21 October 2026); a BGCI entry shows that a garden has declared a plant, not that it is alive today, and it does not say whether the plant grows outdoors or under glass. Montgomery Botanical Center has no accession under this name in its online catalogue. No British garden declares the species. No report from an English-speaking grower could be read; PalmTalk and Dave’s Garden could not be consulted.

Propagation

The plant is dioecious: a male and a female plant are needed to obtain seed. The type itself was raised from seed, which shows that the species can be grown that way, but no germination data specific to it have been published. Seeds are exempt from CITES under annotation #4.

Pests and diseases

No pest or disease specific to the species is documented. In the Philippines, the Asian cycad scale, Aulacaspis yasumatsui, was spreading fast in 2008 and seriously attacking cultivated cycads on several islands (Luzon, Negros, Panay); its presence in wild populations had not been confirmed (Lindström et al. 2008). In the wild, typhoons can strip the leaves of coastal plants, as Typhoon Haiyan did in 2013 (Marler and Ferreras 2015).

Cold hardiness

No cold-tolerance data exist for Cycas nitida. The coasts of Luzon and Samar are frost-free, and nothing allows us to say that the plant tolerates frost.

Mediterranean experience

No growing result has been published in Europe, in the ground or in a pot, and no dated frost event concerns the species; the Jardin zoologique tropical in the Var has published nothing on it. Readers in comparable climates, such as California or southern Australia, have no European result to go on.

United Kingdom, United States and Australia

The only reference point outside the Philippines is its cultivation in Sydney and at Burpengary, in south-east Queensland, where plants raised from seed produced cones (Lindström et al. 2008); their growing conditions and the minimum temperatures they experienced were not published, so no hardiness can be inferred from them. No USDA zone can be given. In the UK, and in most of the United States and Australia outside the tropics and subtropics, keep it under heated glass.

Toxicity and precautions

No toxicity analysis specific to Cycas nitida 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: keep seeds and leaves out of reach of children and pets, and wear gloves to clean the seeds. If any part is swallowed, contact a poison centre, a doctor or a vet straight away.

Traditional uses

No use is documented for this species.

Frequently asked questions

What does nitida mean?

“Shining” in Latin: the name describes the dark green, extremely glossy leaves that distinguish the species.

Where does Cycas nitida grow?

Only in the Philippines, in the coastal forests of northern and eastern Luzon and a few neighbouring provinces, as far as Northern Samar according to The World List of Cycads.

Do its seeds float?

Yes, according to its description: they contain a spongy layer, like those of the other cycads of subsection Rumphiae, which favours their dispersal by sea.

Is it endangered?

Yes. The IUCN lists it as Endangered: its coastal forests are being reduced by development and aquaculture.

Why does the type come from a garden?

Because the authors described the species from a female plant grown in Sydney from Rapu-Rapu seed; the rules of botanical nomenclature allow a cultivated plant to serve as the type.

Can it be grown outdoors in the UK?

Almost certainly not. No cold data exist and its range is frost-free; it is a plant for heated glass.

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

  • Lindström, A.J., Hill, K.D. & Stanberg, L.C. (2008). The genus Cycas (Cycadaceae) in The Philippines. Telopea 12(1): 119–145. doi:10.7751/telopea20085805 [Original description (pp. 142–143, fig. 6), key, habitat, cultivated material, proposed status; full text consulted.]
  • Marler, T.E. & Ferreras, U.F. (2015). Disruption of leaf nutrient remobilization in coastal Cycas trees by tropical cyclone damage. Journal of Geography & Natural Disasters 5(2): 142. doi:10.4172/2167-0587.1000142 [Only the abstract was read.]
  • Lindström, A. & Agoo, E.M.G. (2023). Cycas nitida. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2023: e.T187820A1827287. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2023-1.RLTS.T187820A1827287.en [Red List assessment (dated 2020); reference found on Crossref, category EN relayed by GBIF, page not consulted (access blocked).]
  • Lindström, A.J. & Hill, K.D. (2007). The genus Cycas (Cycadaceae) in India. Telopea 11(4): 463–488. doi:10.7751/telopea20075745 [Remark on plants cultivated as Cycas circinalis; full text 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.]