Cycas sphaerica

Cycas sphaerica is a tree-like cycad of south-eastern India, growing in dry forest and hill woodland in the Eastern Ghats and neighbouring areas, in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. This species of the genus Cycas was described in 1832 by William Roxburgh from plants grown in the Calcutta botanic garden, and is named for its almost spherical seeds. Its history is one of confusion, first with Cycas circinalis, then with Cycas orixensis, separated in 2015; the name Cycas darshii, published in 2014, is now also included in it. The IUCN lists it as Endangered.

Key facts about Cycas sphaerica

  • Accepted name: Cycas sphaerica Roxb. (1832), accepted by The World List of Cycads (version 2026.08.15) and by GBIF; POWO could not be consulted
  • Former names and synonyms: Cycas darshii R.C.Srivast. & Jana (2014), a synonym; spelt “Cycas spherica” by Lindström and Hill (2007); plants long referred to Cycas circinalis
  • Family: Cycadaceae, order Cycadales
  • Common names: no English name; in Srikakulam district (Andhra Pradesh), the dish made from its leaves is called “oruguna”
  • Natural range: India: Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu according to The World List of Cycads
  • IUCN status: Endangered (EN, criteria B1ab(iii,v)), assessment by A. Varghese and V. Krishnamurthy (2010); reassessed by J. Khuraijam and J. Rao in Red List version 2023-1, EN according to GBIF
  • 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: dry forest and open hill woodland, on dry, rocky ground
  • Habit and adult size: trunk up to 5 m, 9 to 27 cm across; leaves 0.95 to 1.85 m long
  • In the UK, US and Australia: one accession at Montgomery Botanical Center (Florida), of uncertain identity (see In cultivation)
  • Toxicity: no analysis specific to the species; treat it as poisonous, like all Cycas, despite local food uses (see Toxicity and precautions)

How to recognise Cycas sphaerica

Above all by its megasporophylls. Cycas sphaerica closely resembles Cycas circinalis, from which Lindström and Hill (2007) separate it by the broader blade of the megasporophylls, with longer teeth (5 to 10 mm). The almost spherical seeds, about 25 mm across, and the light green, hairless young leaves also help. The description below is Lindström and Hill’s (2007).

  • Trunk: tree-like, up to 5 m tall and 9 to 27 cm in diameter, not swollen at the base; thick bark with persistent leaf bases and cataphylls.
  • Leaves: 95 to 185 cm long, dark green, semi-glossy, flat in section, with 55 to 130 leaflets; young leaves light green, with a down that falls very early; petiole 27 to 50 cm, hairless, spiny along 20 to 100% of its length.
  • Median leaflets: 18 to 27 cm long and 7 to 12 mm wide, narrowed to 3 to 4 mm at the base, set 12 to 22 mm apart; margins flat or slightly recurved, not wavy; tip softly tapering, not sharp; midrib raised on both faces.
  • Cataphylls (the scale leaves that protect the growing point): narrowly triangular, soft, finely silky or hairless, 50 to 70 mm long.
  • Male cones: narrowly ovoid, orange, about 45 cm long and 10 cm across; microsporophylls firm, 32 to 38 mm long, with a prominent apical spine about 17 mm long.
  • Megasporophylls: 20 to 25 cm long, with persistent orange down, carrying 3 to 8 hairless ovules; lance-shaped blade 28 to 43 mm long and 18 to 20 mm wide, shallowly comb-like or regularly toothed, with 21 to 25 pungent lateral spines 5 to 10 mm long and a distinct apical spine 17 to 29 mm long.
  • Seeds: almost spherical, about 25 mm long and wide; fleshy coat (sarcotesta) yellow, without a fibrous layer; stony layer smooth; no spongy layer.

The key in the same article gives microsporophylls 28 to 43 mm long, whereas the description gives 32 to 38 mm; the description is followed here.

Hybrids

No hybrid is documented for this species.

Possible confusion

  • Cycas circinalis, of the Western Ghats: very similar, but with a narrower megasporophyll blade, shorter teeth (under 5 mm) and bluish new growth (Lindström and Hill 2007).
  • Cycas orixensis, of Odisha: microsporophylls with a forked apical spine (with one or more branches) and megasporophylls with a lance-shaped blade ending in a long point (Singh et al. 2015).
  • Cycas seshachalamensis, described in 2016 from the Seshachalam Hills (Chittoor district): its authors separate it by an underground stem bearing a trunk with an abruptly swollen base, leaves with 145 to 231 leaflets, spindle-shaped male cones and megasporophylls with short lateral spines (2 to 4 mm) and a short apical spine (8 to 12 mm) (Rao et al. 2016).
  • Cycas beddomei, of the Seshachalam Hills (Chittoor and Kadapa districts): a smaller shrub with a short trunk (Solomon Raju et al. 2019).
  • Cycas nathorstii, of Sri Lanka and Tamil Nadu, which de Laubenfels and Adema (1998) included in Cycas sphaerica, and Cycas annaikalensis, with microsporophylls 63 to 83 mm long and leaves with 200 to 240 leaflets (Lindström and Hill 2007).

Taxonomy

Cycas sphaerica is a name accepted by The World List of Cycads, which includes Cycas darshii R.C.Srivast. & Jana, described in 2014 in the Indian Journal of Plant Sciences, as a synonym; POWO could not be consulted. The lectotype, designated by Hill (1995), is a plant grown in the Calcutta botanic garden, collected by Roxburgh in 1808 and kept at the Natural History Museum in London (BM). Lindström and Hill (2007) spell the name “spherica”.

The content of the species has changed several times. De Laubenfels and Adema (1998) included in it Cycas nathorstii and Cycas circinalis var. orixensis, described by Haines in 1924 for the plants of Odisha. Lindström and Hill (2007) separated Cycas nathorstii but left Haines’s variety in Cycas sphaerica, whose range then ran from Odisha to Tamil Nadu. In 2015, Singh, Radha and Khuraijam raised that variety to species rank as Cycas orixensis, on the forked microsporophylls of the Odisha populations, and referred the populations of Srikakulam, in northern Andhra Pradesh, to Cycas sphaerica. The World List of Cycads follows this division and no longer cites Odisha in the range of the species. For the reader, this means that publications before 2015 that report Cycas sphaerica from Odisha mostly concern Cycas orixensis.

Etymology and history

The epithet comes from the Latin sphaericus, “spherical”, in reference to the rounded seeds (Lindström and Hill 2007; Haynes 2022).

Roxburgh mentioned the plant as early as 1814 and described it in 1832 in his Flora Indica, without citing a type, referring to plants in the Calcutta botanic garden said to have been introduced from the Moluccas in 1798–1799. The species does not occur in the Moluccas: Roxburgh had mixed up two plants in the garden, Cycas sphaerica, which he grew under the name Cycas circinalis, and Cycas rumphii, not yet described. His description of Cycas circinalis actually applies to Cycas rumphii, and that of Cycas sphaerica to the plant grown as Cycas circinalis. Of Roxburgh’s two specimens kept in London, the one of Cycas sphaerica bears only the annotation “Cycas planifolia”, a manuscript name of Solander’s (Lindström and Hill 2007). De Laubenfels and Adema (1998) believed this material came from Odisha, an idea that the separation of Cycas orixensis now makes ambiguous.

Common names

No English common name is attested. In Srikakulam district (Andhra Pradesh), the dish of fried leaves made from this plant is known locally as “oruguna” (Solomon Raju et al. 2019); no vernacular name for the plant itself is attested with certainty.

In the wild

Cycas sphaerica grows in dry forest and woodland in the hills of south-eastern India. Lindström and Hill (2007) cite collections from Tamil Nadu (around Krishnagiri, at about 545 to 606 m; the Palni Hills; the Alagarkoil range, near Madurai), Karnataka (at about 980 to 1030 m) and Andhra Pradesh (north of Mamandur, near Tirupati, at about 330 to 380 m). In northern Andhra Pradesh the species is known in the Jalantrakota reserve forest (Srikakulam district) and, since 2014, in the Pinjarikonda reserve forest (East Godavari district), between 100 and 456 m (Prakasa Rao et al. 2014, cited by Solomon Raju and Venkata Ramana 2020).

At Jalantrakota, studies carried out in 2008–2009 describe a plant adapted to dry, rocky hills, which cones from March to May, when it is leafless, and whose seeds germinate in the rainy season. The trunk produces bulbils that drop off and give new plants. The authors describe the species as wind-pollinated, while recording weevils of the genus Derelomus developing in the male cones; caterpillars of the cycad blue butterfly (Luthrodes pandava, long known as Chilades pandava) eat the young leaflets, and weaver birds and stingless bees use the plant (Solomon Raju and Venkata Ramana 2020). In 2018–2019 much of this population was cut and burnt for plantations and crops; some burnt trunks were resprouting and some seeds were germinating in the burnt areas.

Conservation status and regulation

The IUCN lists Cycas sphaerica as Endangered (EN). The assessment by A. Varghese and V. Krishnamurthy, published in 2010, rests on criteria B1ab(iii,v): a small range, with a decline in habitat quality and in the number of mature plants (The World List of Cycads). A reassessment by J. Khuraijam and J. Rao, dated 2020, was published in version 2023-1 of the Red List (reference found on Crossref), and the Red List data relayed by GBIF still give the category Endangered (consulted on 24 October 2026); the Red List itself could not be consulted. Several Indian publications after 2010 still call it Data Deficient (DD), following the 2003 action plan (Donaldson 2003).

The documented threats are local: harvesting of young leaves after coning, removal of the pith of young trunks, cutting of male cones, which reduces pollination, and clearing of the habitat (Solomon Raju et al. 2019; Solomon Raju and Venkata Ramana 2020).

Like every species in the genus except Cycas beddomei, Cycas sphaerica falls under CITES Appendix II, where the family Cycadaceae has been included since 4 February 1977. Annotation #4 (CoP20 version, in force since 5 March 2026) exempts seeds, pollen, seedlings and tissue cultures obtained in vitro and transported in sterile containers, and cut flowers of artificially propagated plants; international trade in the plants themselves requires an export permit. The United Kingdom, the United States and Australia apply CITES through their own legislation; in the European Union the species is in Annex B of Regulation (EC) No 338/97, as set by Commission Regulation (EU) 2026/1383, applicable since 29 June 2026. Species+, the official CITES database, lists the species under its own name and confirms this status. This information was checked in October 2026 and does not replace the official texts: check the rules in force, ask for proof of origin and prefer plants raised from seed in cultivation.

Growing Cycas sphaerica

In short: it has been grown in India for two centuries, but no cultivation advice specific to the species has been published, and no grower’s report is documented.

Cycas sphaerica has been grown at least since the early nineteenth century in the Calcutta botanic garden, from which its type comes, and Lindström collected it in 2002 from a cultivated plant in the town of Krishnagiri. Locally, its leaves are used for bouquets (Solomon Raju et al. 2019).

Outdoor and in-ground cultivation

The points below are deductions from its habitat, not documented results. A cycad of dry hill forest with a long dry season, it is likely to need warmth, full light and a very free-draining, mineral soil, with water concentrated in the growing season. Outdoors, only frost-free tropical or subtropical climates can be considered, such as southern Florida or northern Australia; no garden in these regions has published results.

Container cultivation

In the United Kingdom and other temperate regions, the only realistic option is a pot in a heated glasshouse or conservatory, in a mineral, free-draining mix and in full light. No European experience exists.

In cultivation in the UK, US and Australia

In short: a single American accession, whose identity should be treated with caution.

  • United States: Montgomery Botanical Center, in Coral Gables (Florida), lists one accession under Cycas sphaerica, number 96316, which its number dates to 1996; it is also the only garden declaring the species to BGCI (both consulted on 24 October 2026). The same accession is returned when the catalogue is searched for the names “orixensis”, “fairylakea” and “circinalis”; the catalogue does not say why these names are attached to it (former identifications or labels are possible), so the identity of the plant, and in particular whether it belongs to Cycas sphaerica as now defined or to Cycas orixensis, cannot be taken for granted.
  • United Kingdom and Australia: no record in BGCI or in the catalogues checked in October 2026. The British nursery Trebrown has no page for it.

As Cycas circinalis is a name often misapplied in cultivation, some plants grown under that name could belong to other Indian species; no source links any of them to Cycas sphaerica. No report from a private grower is documented.

Propagation

The plant is dioecious: seed requires a male and a female plant. In the wild it also multiplies by bulbils that form on the trunk during the rainy season (Solomon Raju and Venkata Ramana 2020). No data from controlled germination trials have been published. Seeds are exempt from CITES under annotation #4; look for seed from cultivated plants.

Pests and diseases

In the wild, caterpillars of the cycad blue (Luthrodes pandava) feed on the young leaflets (Solomon Raju and Venkata Ramana 2020); this butterfly is a known pest of cycads grown in Asia. In cultivation, as with any Cycas, scales such as Aulacaspis yasumatsui can attack it, and overwatering or poor drainage rots the trunk and roots. No disease specific to the species is documented.

Cold hardiness

No cold-tolerance data exist for Cycas sphaerica. Its range, in south-eastern India, has a tropical climate, and nothing suggests that the plant can take frost; the highest collections cited, at about 1,000 m in Karnataka, are not accompanied by any temperature reading.

Mediterranean and European experience

No cultivation result has been published in Europe, in the open ground or in a pot, and no dated frost episode concerns this species.

United Kingdom, United States and Australia

No cold reading is documented in any country, and no nursery gives a hardiness rating. Treat it as a frost-tender plant: a heated glasshouse in the UK, frost-free tropical gardens elsewhere.

Toxicity and precautions

No toxicity analysis specific to Cycas sphaerica has been published. Its young leaves, the pith of its trunk and its seeds are nevertheless eaten locally after preparation (see Traditional uses): these uses do not prove that the plant is harmless and must not be copied. The risk is 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. In the absence of evidence to the contrary, treat the plant as poisonous: keep seeds and leaves out of reach of children and animals and wear gloves to clean seeds. If any part is swallowed, contact a poison centre, a doctor or a vet straight away.

Traditional uses

In Srikakulam district, Solomon Raju and colleagues (2019) describe several uses. The young leaves, gathered after coning, are stripped of their midrib, cut, washed and cooked for about half an hour, then fried with spices: this dish, called “oruguna”, is eaten on its own or as a curry with rice. The leaves are also made into bouquets, sold cheaply in markets in villages near Odisha. The pith of young trunks is ground into a flour (“sago flour”) used to make dosas, and the dried seeds also give a flour. Finally, the male cones, whose strong smell is said to carry at least 500 m, are kept in houses to drive away mosquitoes.

Frequently asked questions

What does sphaerica mean?

“Spherical”, in Latin: the name describes the almost round seeds.

Where does Cycas sphaerica grow?

In the dry hill forests of south-eastern India: Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

Does it also grow in Odisha?

No longer, according to The World List of Cycads. Since 2015 the Odisha plants have been referred to Cycas orixensis.

Is Cycas darshii a different species?

No. The World List of Cycads treats Cycas darshii, described in 2014, as a synonym of Cycas sphaerica.

How do I tell it from Cycas circinalis?

By the broader megasporophyll blade, with longer teeth (5 to 10 mm), and by the round seeds.

Are its leaves edible?

They are eaten locally after cooking, but no study shows that they are safe: this use must not be copied.

Is it endangered?

Yes. The IUCN lists it as Endangered: harvesting, clearing and fire are reducing its populations.

Is it hardy in the UK?

Almost certainly not. No cold data exist and its range is tropical: grow it in a heated glasshouse.

Further reading on Succulentes

Sources

Reference sites

Bibliography

  • Lindström, A.J. & Hill, K.D. (2007). The genus Cycas (Cycadaceae) in India. Telopea 11(4): 463–488. doi:10.7751/telopea20075745 [Description, history, typification, distribution (with the spelling spherica); full text consulted.]
  • Singh, R., Radha, P. & Khuraijam, J.S. (2015). A new species, a new combination and a new subsection of Cycas from Odisha, northern Eastern Ghats of India. Asian Journal of Conservation Biology 4(1): 3–14. [Separation of Cycas orixensis, Srikakulam populations; full text consulted.]
  • Rao, P.V.C., Prasad, N.V.S., Babu, P.M., Prasad, K. & Prasanna, P.V. (2016). Cycas seshachalamensis (Cycadaceae), a new cycad from Andhra Pradesh, India. Asian Journal of Conservation Biology 5(1): 55–58. [Comparison table including Cycas sphaerica; full text consulted.]
  • de Laubenfels, D.J. & Adema, F. (1998). A taxonomic revision of the genera Cycas and Epicycas gen. nov. (Cycadaceae). Blumea 43(2): 351–400. [Very broad species concept; inclusion of Cycas nathorstii and var. orixensis; full text consulted.]
  • Solomon Raju, A.J., Venkata Ramana, K., Suvarna Raju, P., Dileepu Kumar, B., Lakshminarayana, G. & Sravan Kumar, S. (2019). Traditional food and medicinal uses of Cycas sphaerica Roxb. and Cycas beddomei Dyer (Cycadaceae). Species 20: 24–27. [Full text consulted.]
  • Solomon Raju, A.J. & Venkata Ramana, K. (2020). Present status of the habitat of Cycas sphaerica Roxb. (Cycadaceae), a data deficient IUCN red-listed species in Srikakulam District, Andhra Pradesh. Species 21(68): 232–237. [Full text consulted.]
  • Prakasa Rao, J., Kumar, M.R., Rao, V.S.R., Kumar, O.A. & Venkaiah, M. (2014). New population of Cycas sphaerica Roxb. (Cycadaceae) discovered in Pinjarikonda Reserve Forest, Andhra Pradesh, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 6(6): 5871–5874. [Not consulted; cited from The World List of Cycads and Solomon Raju and Venkata Ramana (2020).]
  • Varghese, A. & Krishnamurthy, V. (2010). Cycas sphaerica. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: e.T42096A10630812. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-3.RLTS.T42096A10630812.en [Reference found on The World List of Cycads and Crossref; Red List page not consulted (access blocked).]
  • Khuraijam, J. & Rao, J. (2023). Cycas sphaerica. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: e.T42096A69158193. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2023-1.RLTS.T42096A69158193.en [Reassessment dated 2020; reference found on Crossref, EN category relayed by GBIF; Red List page not consulted.]
  • Roxburgh, W. (1832). Flora Indica 3: 747. Serampore. [Original description; not consulted, cited from The World List of Cycads and Lindström and Hill (2007).]
  • 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.]