Native to Japan, these plants typically grow in warm temperate and subtropical regions.
So why are they springing back up in the UK now?
Botanists at theVentnor Botanic Gardenson the Isle of Wight first produced a male cone outdoors in 2012.
Photo:Ventnor Botanic Garden
But their ability to thrive outdoors is an indication that the climate is transforming.
Fifteen years on, they’re not only surviving winters, growing and producing leaves.
The direction of travel with climate change is very profound.
Male cone (Photo:Stan Shebs[CC BY-SA 3.0])
The Cycad has certainly been helped by European heatwaves that have occurred over the past several years.
For other types of crops and plants, these temperature changes can have devastating effects.
A botanical garden in the UK was able to produce male and female Cycad cones outdoors.
Female cone (Photo:Wikipedia[CC BY-SA 3.0])
