Editing Cycas normanbyana

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[[File:Cycas_normanbyana.jpg|frame|Figure 1. ''C. normanbyana'' in habitat.]]
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===Synonymy:===
This name is considered a Synonym of ''[[Cycas media]]'' R.Br. subsp. ''media''

<big>from ''Palms & Cycads''</big>

Despite its longtime discovery, this very interesting cycad
is still very much of a mystery. Seed of it continues to
drift into collections from many sources, but definite
localities are still very sketchy. Originally located in the
Normanby Ranges and named for them, this species has also
been sighted near the south Burdekin River and in the
adjacent range districts.

I could not find much data on the Normanby Range area,
however, Vince Winkel, one time curator of Cairns Gardens,
who has always been a keen plant researcher, came into that
range country while on a plant finding ramble west of Bowen.
Vince states further that the species ''C. normanbyana'' is
still in colonies throughout the range along with a very tall
form of ''[[Cycas kennedyana]]''. As for ''C. normanbyana'', it
predominates.
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The best stand I have seen is the double row of these plants
at the Old Gloucester Park Resort just north of Cannonvale
and Dingo Beach. This Gloucester Park colony, if it can be
called so, grows in grey coastal wallum sand and in typical
wallum scrub. ''Banksia, Melaleuca'' and ''Casuarina''
are natural to the area.
Possibilities are that only remnants of them remain in
any natural habitat, so if there is any danger that the area
may be developed again, government authorities should
preserve this stand for all time, as an island owner did with
the ancient stand of ''[[Cycas media]]'' on Brampton Island off Mackay.
The male cones of the plants viewed were very interesting
and colourful, shaped like a Moscow minaret, in elongated
form, the deeply ferruginous cone has an enhancing golden
orange hue.

The female megasporophylls are quite distinctive, generally
having only 2 ovules which are orange-brown, and when mature
hang pendantly. The caudex of fine diamond shaped leaf bases,
is stout and firm being approximately 2m in height (in
specimens seen) the fronds arching perfectly from the apex of
the plants in multiple dense rows. The mature fronds are dark
shiny green and in some ways they have similarities to
''[[Cycas revoluta]]''. This species seems to revel in a
coastal environment.
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[[File:Cycas_normanbyana1.jpg|frame|Figure 2. ''C. normanbyana'' seed head.]]
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===Contributed by: ===
L. P. Butt from '''''Palms & Cycads''''' No. 27, Apr-Jun 1990.


===External Links:===
<p>[https://www.google.com/search?q=%22Cycas+normanbyana%22&amp;num=10&amp;sa=Google+Search Google],
[https://images.google.com/images?q=%22Cycas+normanbyana%22&amp;hl=en&amp;btnG=Google+Search GoogleImages],
[https://www.flickr.com/search/?q=Cycas+normanbyana Flickr],
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[[Category:Cycas|normanbyana]]
[[Category:Cycad|Cycas_normanbyana]]