Cycas sancti-lasallei

Cycas sancti-lasallei is a cycad of the island of Mindanao, in the Philippines, known only from the watershed of the Cugman River, on the slopes above the city of Cagayan de Oro (province of Misamis Oriental), where it grows in low-elevation secondary forest and reforestation areas. This species of the genus Cycas was described in 2012 by the Philippine botanists Esperanza Maribel G. Agoo and Domingo A. Madulid and dedicated to Saint John Baptist de La Salle. Its long leaves with wavy leaflets and its megasporophylls, rounded at the base and triangular at the tip, set it apart from the other Philippine cycads. The IUCN lists it as Critically Endangered.

Key facts about Cycas sancti-lasallei

  • Accepted name: Cycas sancti-lasallei Agoo & Madulid (2012), accepted by The World List of Cycads (version 2026.08.15) and by GBIF; the World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP), on which POWO is based, also accepts it (consulted through GBIF on 31 October 2026)
  • Former names and synonyms: none
  • Family: Cycadaceae, order Cycadales
  • Common names: none attested, in English or in a Philippine language
  • Natural range: Philippines, Mindanao, Cugman River watershed (Cagayan de Oro, Misamis Oriental), between 259 and 465 m above sea level in the plots surveyed in 2026
  • IUCN status: Critically Endangered (CR, criteria B1ab(i,iii,v) and C2a(ii)), assessment by Agoo and Lindström published in Red List version 2022-1; CR 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: in the wild, secondary forest, reforestation areas and some grassland, mostly on loamy soils; no cultivation data
  • Habit and adult size: trunk up to 5 m tall and 20 cm across; leaves 2.2 to 3 m long
  • In the UK, US and Australia: Montgomery Botanical Center (Florida), five accessions received in 2023; a cultivated plant of uncertain identity in Queensland
  • Toxicity: no toxicity data specific to the species; treat it as poisonous, like all Cycas (see Toxicity and precautions)

How to recognise Cycas sancti-lasallei

Look at the leaves and, on female plants, at the megasporophylls (the fertile leaves that carry the ovules). Agoo and Madulid (2012) separate the species from the other Philippine cycads by a combination of characters: long leaves, 2.2 to 3 m; a long petiole with few or no spines; wavy leaflets; and a megasporophyll blade that is semicircular to circular at the base, then narrows into a triangular tip carrying 7 to 9 well-defined lateral spines, and finally into an apical spine. The waviness of the leaflets is constant in every plant they observed. The description below follows their original publication.

  • Trunk: tree-like, up to 5 m tall and 20 cm in diameter, not swollen at the base; bark rough.
  • Leaves: green and glossy, 2.2 to 3 m long, flat to slightly keeled in section, ending in a pair of leaflets.
  • Petiole: 45 to 63 cm long, hairless, with no spines or up to 13 pairs of spines 3 mm high.
  • Leaflets: 60 to 162 on each side, with slightly recurved, wavy margins and a sharp but not spiny tip; the median leaflets measure 33 to 35 cm by 1.3 to 1.5 cm; the midrib is raised on both surfaces.
  • Male cones: not seen by the authors.
  • Megasporophylls: 30 to 43 cm long and brown-felted; the blade is semicircular to circular at the base (25 to 35 by 25 to 38 mm, with smooth margins), triangular at the top (20 to 40 mm long) with 7 to 9 lateral spines 4 to 11 mm long, and ends in an apical spine 25 to 50 mm long.
  • Seeds: one to three pairs per megasporophyll, ovoid, about 50 mm by 35 to 45 mm; the yellowish fleshy coat is 5 mm thick, with no fibrous layer, and a spongy layer 2 to 3 mm thick, two to three times thicker than the hard shell, lets them float.

Hybrids

No hybrid, natural or horticultural, is documented for this species.

Possible confusion

Agoo and Madulid (2012) compared it with Cycas edentata and Cycas vespertilio. Cycas edentata, a cycad of the seashore, has leaflets that are not wavy, a lance-shaped megasporophyll blade with indistinct teeth, and larger seeds with a thick spongy layer, up to 15 mm. Cycas vespertilio, from Panay, has shorter leaves, a wing-shaped blade without teeth and smaller seeds, 30 to 36 mm long, with a very thin spongy layer; its leaflets are only sometimes wavy. In the key that accompanies the description, wavy leaflets and lateral spines set along the triangular top of the blade are enough to single out Cycas sancti-lasallei.

Two other cycads of Mindanao have been described since: Cycas flabellata and Cycas mindanaensis, both in 2019. Their original description could not be read, so the characters that separate them from this species cannot be given here.

Two cultivated plants of unknown origin resemble Cycas sancti-lasallei: a specimen (NSW 403470) taken from a plant grown at Burpengary, in Queensland (Australia), from an unknown Philippine provenance, and a female plant cultivated at Calinog, on the island of Panay. The authors could not confirm their identity.

Taxonomy

Cycas sancti-lasallei is a name accepted by The World List of Cycads and by GBIF; the World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP), on which POWO is based, also accepts it (consulted through GBIF on 31 October 2026). Agoo and Madulid described it in 2012 in the journal Blumea (57(2): 131–133), from a collection made in March 2010 in the Cugman River watershed, at Sitio Malasag, Barangay Cugman (Agoo 10-085; holotype at the Philippine National Herbarium, PNH; isotype at the herbarium of De La Salle University, DLSU). Three further collections, from Cugman, Mapawa Nature Park and Barangay Catanico, made in 2011, are cited with it. The authors do not place the species in a section or subsection of the genus; its seeds with a spongy layer recall the cycads of the seashore, but no such placement has been published.

The species was added to the ten recognised in the Philippines by the revision of Lindström, Hill and Stanberg (2008); in the key of 2012 it became the eleventh Philippine Cycas, and further species have since been described from Mindanao.

Etymology and history

The epithet honours Saint John Baptist de La Salle (1651–1719), patron saint of teachers and founder of the De La Salle Schools (Agoo and Madulid 2012; Haynes 2022). The first author belonged to the Biology Department of De La Salle University, in Manila.

The first and, so far, only chemical study of the species came from the same university. Ng, Agoo, Shen and Ragasa (2015) analysed seed coats and bark collected at Malasag, in Cugman, in April 2014 and isolated squalene, plant sterols, triglycerides and fatty acid esters; they noted that no chemical or biological study of the species had been published before theirs.

Common names

No English common name is attested, and no name in a Philippine language is attested for this species.

In the wild

Cycas sancti-lasallei is known only from the Cugman River watershed, on the slopes of the highly urbanised city of Cagayan de Oro, in Misamis Oriental (Mindanao). It grows in low-elevation secondary forest and in reforestation areas planted mostly with exotic trees, and it is also cultivated around the watershed (Agoo and Madulid 2012).

A study published in 2026 by Suminig and co-authors, from Central Mindanao University with a contribution from Montgomery Botanical Center, gives the first count. Most of the population lies in Mapawa Nature Park, in Barangay Cugman; the team surveyed five plots there and one in the neighbouring Barangay F.S. Catanico, near the Cugman River, between 259 and 465 m above sea level, in February and March. They recorded 1,015 plants. Seedlings and juveniles dominate: only 50 plants, 4.93% of the total, bore cones (21 males and 29 females), about 20 plants per hectare, against 125.6 per hectare for the first juvenile stage, and seedlings cluster around the female plants, a sign that the seeds fall close to their parent. The sex ratio leans towards females (0.72 male for one female), which the authors suggest may reflect how easily each sex was detected during a single survey rather than a real imbalance.

The plants are aggregated rather than evenly spread. Secondary forest on loamy soil holds nearly half of the coning plants; a grassland dominated by cogon grass (Imperata cylindrica) still supports a moderate population, while steep rocky slopes with shallow soil and severe erosion, invasive vegetation such as Acacia mangium and dense canopy hold fewer plants and less reproduction (Suminig et al. 2026). During the fieldwork, air temperatures in the plots ranged from 27 to 34 °C (81 to 93 °F).

Conservation status and regulation

The IUCN lists Cycas sancti-lasallei as Critically Endangered (CR), under criteria B1ab(i,iii,v) and C2a(ii), in the assessment by Agoo and Lindström published in Red List version 2022-1, as cited by The World List of Cycads; the Red List data relayed by GBIF give the same category (consulted on 24 October 2026). These criteria reflect a very small range, a continuing decline and a small adult population almost entirely in one subpopulation. As early as 2012, the authors of the species estimated its extent of occurrence at less than 100 km² and considered it critically endangered.

The threats described are urban growth, orchards, food gardens and industrial plantations in the unprotected part of the watershed, the collection of firewood and other forest products, the gathering of plants by local people for their gardens, and the landslides and soil erosion to which the watershed is exposed; reforestation and ecotourism cover only part of the habitat (Agoo and Madulid 2012). Suminig et al. (2026) add competition from planted Acacia mangium, limited seed dispersal and the possible harvesting of adult plants. They caution that a population dominated by young plants is common even in stable cycad populations, but conclude that the low proportion of reproductive adults and the very small range could threaten the long-term persistence of the species. They recommend protecting the sites that hold coning plants, limiting land conversion and erosion, and backing this up with seed collection, propagation and living collections.

Like every species in the genus except Cycas beddomei, Cycas sancti-lasallei 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, names the species and confirms this status. In the Philippines, the 2026 study was carried out under a collecting permit issued under the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act of 2001 (Republic Act 9147). 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 sancti-lasallei

In short: it is grown locally, around the Cugman watershed, but no institution consulted has published growing advice and no grower’s report has been published.

Outdoor and in-ground cultivation

The points below are deductions from its habitat, not documented results. A cycad of humid tropical lowland forest, where air temperatures of around 30 °C (86 °F) are normal, it is likely to need constant warmth and a free-draining soil; in the wild it reproduces best on loamy soil in secondary forest. Outdoors, it can only be considered in frost-free tropical or near-tropical climates, such as southern Florida.

Container cultivation

In the United Kingdom and other temperate regions, the only realistic option is a pot in a heated glasshouse. No European experience exists.

In cultivation in the UK, US and Australia

In short: one collection in the United States, and an uncertain plant in Australia. The online catalogue of Montgomery Botanical Center, in Coral Gables (Florida), lists five accessions, numbered 20230330 to 20230334, all received in 2023 according to their numbers (consulted on 24 October 2026). The species does not appear in the BGCI PlantSearch database. In Australia, the only plant on record is the one grown privately at Burpengary, Queensland, whose identity Agoo and Madulid could not confirm. No British record is documented, and no grower’s report from these countries.

Propagation

The plant is dioecious: seed requires a male and a female plant. No germination data specific to the species have been published. In the wild, seedlings cluster around female plants, and Suminig et al. (2026) recommend seed collection and propagation as a complement to habitat protection. Seeds are exempt from CITES under annotation #4; look only for seed of legal, documented origin.

Pests and diseases

No pest or disease specific to the species is documented. In the Philippines, the cycad scale Aulacaspis yasumatsui seriously attacks cultivated cycads on several islands (Lindström et al. 2008). In cultivation, as with any Cycas, overwatering and poor drainage rot the trunk and roots.

Cold hardiness

No cold-tolerance data exist for Cycas sancti-lasallei. It is a lowland plant of a tropical island, living in a frost-free climate, and nothing suggests that it can take frost.

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 hardiness zone can be given on the basis of a documented trial. Treat it as a frost-tender glasshouse plant outside the tropics.

Toxicity and precautions

No toxicity study specific to Cycas sancti-lasallei has been published. The only chemical analysis of the species (Ng et al. 2015) looked at fat-soluble compounds of the seed coats and bark, not at toxins, so it says nothing about its safety. 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. Treat this species 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

The only documented use is ornamental: local people collect plants for their gardens (Agoo and Madulid 2012).

Frequently asked questions

Who is the species named after?

Saint John Baptist de La Salle (1651–1719), patron saint of teachers and founder of the De La Salle Schools; the first author worked at De La Salle University in Manila.

Where does Cycas sancti-lasallei grow?

Only in the Cugman River watershed, at Cagayan de Oro, on the island of Mindanao, in the Philippines, in secondary forest, reforestation areas and some grassland.

How can it be recognised?

By its leaves of more than 2 m with wavy leaflets, and by its megasporophylls, rounded at the base and triangular at the top, with 7 to 9 distinct spines.

Do its seeds float?

Yes, according to its authors: they have a spongy layer 2 to 3 mm thick.

How many plants are left?

A survey published in 2026 counted 1,015 plants, of which fewer than 5% were reproductive adults.

Is it endangered?

Yes, seriously. The IUCN lists it as Critically Endangered: its range is tiny, next to a large city, and its habitat is shrinking.

Can it be grown outdoors in the UK?

No. No cold data exist and it is a tropical lowland plant: grow it in a heated glasshouse.

Further reading on Succulentes

Sources

Reference sites

Bibliography

  • Agoo, E.M.G. & Madulid, D.A. (2012). Cycas sancti-lasallei (Cycadaceae), a new species from the Philippines. Blumea 57(2): 131–133. doi:10.3767/000651912X657503 [Original description, key to the Philippine species, comparison table, habitat, threats.]
  • Suminig, J.S., Lagria, L., Lumista, H.P., Coritico, F.P., Handley, V. & Guiang, M.M.M. (2026). Population structure and distribution of Critically Endangered Cycas sancti-lasallei Agoo & Madulid (Cycadaceae) in northern Mindanao, Philippines. The Thailand Natural History Museum Journal 20(1): 75–91. [Demography and distribution; peer-reviewed article.]
  • Ng, V.A.S., Agoo, E.M.G., Shen, C.-C. & Ragasa, C.Y. (2015). Chemical constituents of Cycas sancti-lasallei. Journal of Applied Pharmaceutical Science 5 (Suppl. 1): 12–17. doi:10.7324/JAPS.2015.54.S3 [Compounds isolated from seed coats and bark; no toxin assay; open-access article.]
  • 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 [Philippine context, cycad scale.]
  • Agoo, E.M.G. & Lindström, A. (2022). Cycas sancti-lasallei. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: e.T66910010A66910021. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2022-1.RLTS.T66910010A66910021.en [Red List assessment; reference found on The World List of Cycads and Crossref.]
  • 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.]
  • 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.]