Cycas vespertilio

Cycas vespertilio is a tree-like cycad of the hill forests of the central Philippines, from Panay, Negros, Cebu, Leyte and Samar to southern Luzon. Described in 2008 by Anders Lindström and Ken Hill, this species of the genus Cycas takes its name, Latin for “bat”, from the two broad, wing-like extensions of its megasporophylls, a feature unique among Philippine cycads. First collected in 1928, it was only recognised as a species in 2006. The IUCN lists it as Vulnerable.

Key facts about Cycas vespertilio

  • Accepted name: Cycas vespertilio A.Lindstr. & K.D.Hill (2008), 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
  • Natural range: Philippines (Cebu, Iloilo, Leyte, Marinduque, Mindoro Oriental, Negros Oriental and Samar provinces according to The World List of Cycads; also Camarines Sur, in southern Luzon)
  • IUCN status: Vulnerable (VU B2ab(iii,v)), assessment by A. Lindström and L. Stanberg dated 2020 and published in Red List version 2023-1
  • CITES and other protection: CITES Appendix II (seeds exempt under annotation #4), as for the whole family; Annex B in the European Union; the name is not yet listed by Species+
  • Documented hardiness: no data (see Cold hardiness)
  • Light and soil: seasonally deciduous hill forest, on yellow clay over sandstone or volcanic cinders; usually in shade, sometimes in full sun
  • Habit and adult size: trunk 1 to 3 m tall and 12 to 20 cm across; leaves 1.3 to 2.1 m long
  • In the UK, US and Australia: no garden or nursery record found
  • Toxicity: no data specific to the species; treat it as poisonous, like all Cycas (see Toxicity and precautions)

How to recognise Cycas vespertilio

Its megasporophylls are enough to identify it: their long, rhomboid blade bears two broad, flattened lateral extensions, like wings, instead of the rows of teeth found in other species. The seeds are obovoid and somewhat flattened. The description below follows the original one (Lindström, Hill and Stanberg 2008).

  • Trunk: upright, 1 to 3 m tall and 12 to 20 cm across, not markedly swollen at the base; bark thin, with persistent cataphylls.
  • Leaves: 128 to 210 cm long, bright green, glossy, flat in section, with 93 to 117 leaflets; petiole 46 to 52 cm, with brown down that is soon shed, spiny along 90 to 100% of its length; basal leaflets 18 to 20 cm, not reduced to spines.
  • Mid-leaf leaflets: 27 to 29 cm long and 10 to 13 mm wide, narrowed to 2 to 3 mm at the base, 10 to 14 mm apart, the same colour on both faces; margins slightly recurved and wavy; tip acute, not pungent; midrib raised on both faces.
  • Cataphylls: broadly triangular, stiff, hairy, 55 to 60 mm long.
  • Male cones: not seen by the authors.
  • Megasporophylls: 17 to 19 cm long, with persistent cream felt, bearing 6 or 7 hairless ovules; blade rhomboid and winged, 160 to 180 mm long and 32 to 35 mm wide, with two broad, flattened, wing-like lateral spines; distinct apical spine 35 to 38 mm long.
  • Seeds: obovoid, about 36 mm long and 27 mm wide; sclerotesta smooth, no fibrous layer; spongy layer present but thin.

The blade length (160 to 180 mm) exceeds the length of the whole megasporophyll (17 to 19 cm) given in the same description; the inconsistency lies in the original description and could not be resolved.

Hybrids

No hybrid has been documented for this species.

Possible confusion

  • Cycas sancti-lasallei, from Mindanao: regularly undulate leaflets, megasporophyll blade with distinct lateral spines, larger seeds with a thick spongy layer, which float. Agoo and Madulid (2012) note that the leaflet undulation cited in 2008 for Cycas vespertilio is not constant in that species.
  • Cycas edentata, a coastal cycad: blade without teeth or wings, larger seeds (45 to 66 mm).
  • Cycas nitida, from the coastal forests of Luzon: very glossy leaves and megasporophylls with many teeth.
  • Cycas riuminiana and Cycas lacrimans, of the same subsection: megasporophylls without wings.

Taxonomy

Cycas vespertilio is an accepted name in The World List of Cycads; the World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP), on which POWO is based, also accepts it (consulted through GBIF on 31 October 2026). It was described in 2008 in the account of the Philippine Cycas by Lindström, Hill and Stanberg (Telopea 12(1): 134–136, fig. 4), together with Cycas saxatilis, Cycas aenigma, Cycas nitida and Cycas lacrimans. The authors place it in section Cycas, subsection Cycas, the group whose seeds have a spongy layer that is absent or thin, and do not float. In their key it is the only Philippine species whose megasporophyll bears two broad, wing-like lateral processes, and the key of Agoo and Madulid (2012) separates it in the same way, by its wing-shaped megasporophyll blade and its obovoid seeds about 36 by 27 mm.

Etymology and history

The epithet comes from the Latin vespertilio, “bat”, derived from vesper, “evening”: literally “the little one of the evening”. It refers to the wing-like extensions at the tip of the megasporophylls (Lindström et al. 2008; Haynes 2022).

The species was first collected in December 1928 by Edaño, beside the Panagan River (Camarines Sur, Luzon), but was not recognised as distinct until 2006. The type was collected on 4 March 2006 by Anders Lindström on Mount Opao, at Sitio Nagpana (Barangay Lipata, Barotac Viejo, Iloilo, on Panay) (Lindström AL 06/008; holotype at Los Baños, isotypes in Sydney and Bangkok).

Common names

No common name is attested for this species, in English or in any language of the Philippines. “Bat cycad” is a translation of the epithet, not a recorded name.

In the wild

Cycas vespertilio lives in the hill forests of Panay, Negros, Cebu, Leyte, Samar and the far south of Luzon; there are also collections from Mindoro (Mount Yagaw, one of them at the edge of a mangrove swamp) and from Marinduque. Its typical habitat is seasonally deciduous forest with Pterocarpus indicus and bamboo, on yellow clay over sandstone or volcanic cinders. Plants sometimes grow in full sun on south-west-facing slopes, but more often in shade (Lindström et al. 2008). Pollination and seed dispersal are not documented.

Conservation status and regulation

The World List of Cycads lists Cycas vespertilio as Vulnerable (VU) under criteria B2ab(iii,v): a small area of occupancy, with a decline in habitat quality and in the number of mature plants; it does not give the year of the assessment. According to Crossref, it is the assessment by Anders Lindström and Leonie Stanberg, dated 15 October 2020 and published in Red List version 2023-1; GBIF relays the VU category. In 2008 the authors of the species proposed only Near Threatened (NT): given its wide range, the species did not seem under immediate threat, but deforestation was already extreme on Negros, Panay and Leyte, where little habitat is left.

Like every species in the genus except Cycas beddomei, Cycas vespertilio is covered by CITES Appendix II, where the family Cycadaceae has appeared since 4 February 1977. The listing carries annotation #4 (the version adopted at CoP20, in force since 5 March 2026): seeds, pollen, seedlings and tissue cultures obtained in vitro and transported in sterile containers, as well as cut flowers of artificially propagated plants, are not covered by CITES; international trade in the plants themselves requires an export permit. In the European Union the species falls under Annex B of Regulation (EC) No 338/97, whose current annexes are set by Regulation (EU) 2026/1383, applicable since 29 June 2026. Species+, the official CITES database, does not yet list this name, published in 2008 (search of 24 October 2026): the protection comes from the listing of the whole family, which covers every species, named or not.

This summary does not replace the official texts: check the regulations in force before any purchase or exchange, ask the seller for proof of origin and choose nursery-raised plants grown from seed.

Growing Cycas vespertilio

The species is grown locally in the Philippines: Lindström collected a plant cultivated at a house in Negros Oriental in 2006, of unconfirmed origin, and another specimen was collected from cultivation at Pasay (Manila) in 1956. No cultivation guidance specific to Cycas vespertilio has been published, and no dated report is documented on English-, French- or Italian-language forums.

Outdoor and in-ground cultivation

Its native setting, seasonally deciduous tropical hill forest on clay, points to frost-free tropical climates for planting out, with light shade or sun. This is an inference from the habitat, not a tested result; no planted specimen outside the Philippines with a documented history is known.

Container cultivation

Elsewhere, grow it in a pot, in a free-draining mineral compost and in good light, and keep it in a heated glasshouse or conservatory in winter. These are cautious recommendations, not results of trials.

In cultivation in the UK, US and Australia

In short: no record. The species does not appear in the BGCI PlantSearch database or in the online catalogue of Montgomery Botanical Center (both consulted on 24 October 2026), nor in the online catalogues of British, American and Australian gardens (October 2026). No report from a private grower is documented.

Propagation

The plant is dioecious: a male and a female are needed to obtain seed. No germination data specific to the species has been published; Cycas seed is usually sown fresh, in a free-draining mix and in warmth. Seeds are exempt from CITES under annotation #4: ask for seed from cultivated plants.

Pests and diseases

No disease specific to the species has been documented. In the Philippines, the scale insect Aulacaspis yasumatsui is spreading fast and seriously damages cultivated cycads on Luzon, Negros and Panay; in 2008 its presence in wild populations had not been confirmed (Lindström et al. 2008).

Cold hardiness

There is no cold-hardiness data for Cycas vespertilio. The Visayas and southern Luzon have a frost-free tropical climate: nothing supports the idea that the plant can withstand frost.

Mediterranean and European experience

No cultivation result has been published from southern France or Italy, outdoors or in a pot. On the French Fous de palmiers forum and the Italian Tropicamente forum, the messages found for “vespertilio” concern Erythrina vespertilio and Christia vespertilionis, unrelated plants, and no dated cold event concerns the species. The Jardin zoologique tropical at La Londe-les-Maures, in the Var, has published no observation of this species.

United Kingdom, United States and Australia

No cold value and no dated cultivation report is documented, from forums or from botanic gardens.

Toxicity and precautions

No toxicity analysis specific to Cycas vespertilio has been published. A phytochemical study (Ragasa et al. 2015) isolated lignans (pinoresinol, sesamin, paulownin, lariciresinol), sterols and fatty acid esters from several parts of the plant (cone base, cataphylls, megasporophyll blade, sarcotesta); according to its abstract, it did not look for cycasin or BMAA and so says nothing about the toxicity of the species. 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. 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

No use of this species is documented.

Frequently asked questions

What does vespertilio mean?

“Bat” in Latin: the tip of the megasporophylls bears two broad, wing-like extensions.

Where does Cycas vespertilio grow?

In the hill forests of the central Philippines (Panay, Negros, Cebu, Leyte, Samar, Mindoro, Marinduque) and southern Luzon.

How can I recognise it?

By its winged megasporophylls, without a row of teeth, unique among Philippine cycads.

How does it differ from Cycas sancti-lasallei?

Cycas sancti-lasallei has toothed megasporophylls and large, floating seeds with a thick spongy layer.

Is it endangered?

Yes. It is listed as Vulnerable: much of the forest on its islands has been destroyed.

Is it hardy in the UK?

Almost certainly not. There is no cold data at all, and it is a plant of tropical forest: in Britain it belongs under glass.

Is it poisonous?

It should be assumed so. No analysis exists for this species, but all the Cycas studied contain serious toxins, especially in their 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. 134–136, fig. 4), key, specimens, habitat, proposed status.]
  • 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 [Key to the Philippine Cycas.]
  • Lindström, A. & Stanberg, L. (2023). Cycas vespertilio. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2023-1: e.T187823A1827625. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2023-1.RLTS.T187823A1827625.en [Assessment dated 15 October 2020; reference checked on Crossref, VU category relayed by GBIF.]
  • Ragasa, C.Y., Ng, V.A.S., Agoo, E.M.G. & Shen, C.-C. (2015). Chemical constituents of Cycas vespertilio. Revista Brasileira de Farmacognosia 25(5): 526–528. doi:10.1016/j.bjp.2015.06.002 [Compounds isolated (lignans, sterols, esters).]
  • 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.]