Editing Cycas ophiolitica

{{PalmSpeciesHeader}}
__NOTOC__
<div class="row">
<div class="small-0 large-5 columns">
[[File:Cycas_ophiolitica02.jpg|frame|Figure 1. ''C. ophiolitica'' in habitat, central Queensland]]
</div>
<div class="small-0 large-7 columns">
===Common Names:===
''Cycas'' sp. 'Marlborough Blue'

===Distribution:===
It now appears that the species occurs right through the
ranges around Marlborough, Queensland.

===Habitat:===
The main habitat is in rocky, sloping and open eucalypt-forest
(iron-bark country) with little vegetative surround.
The soil is very poor. Much
of the area contains magnasite rock which is of a hard nature.
Plants occur along hilly outcrops and in lower regions near
creek systems.
Could it be that the geological base determines the blueness
of the fronds? If the colouring is found to be permanent
after long cultivation, and in various localities, the
''Cycas'' has very good landscape potential and yet
another that warrants our concern as a plant in danger.
Reports at hand indicate that this ''Cycas'' grows near
stands of ''Macrozamia miquelii'' and
''Cycas media''.
</div>
</div>

===Description:===
It is a medium sized species having a stout caudex with a
pronounced swollen base. Mature fronds are arching,
especially in low specimens and are generally quite dense.
The pinnae are attached to the rachis V-shaped but flattened
out at a later stage. The apex is deep rusty brown and
tomentose. Sporophylls are many toothed at the apex with 3 to
5 ovules per megasporophyll. Seed is light brown at maturity.
An interesting observation is that the ascending centre
fronds are initially sky blue and become powder blue when
hardened.

Most caudices are charcoal grey, covered with dead leaf
bases in diamond patterns. Offsets, severed from the parent
plant, are extremely slow in forming new fronds. These
''Cycas'' all have a distinct blue colouration to both the
fronds (including the rachis) and fruit. The fine, paired
pinnae are very stiff with pointed apices and remain upright
along the rachis throughout their lifetime. While the
majority of large plants only had a trunk to 1.5m, two
specimens were measured with 3m trunks. Both were in the same
colony, which is the largest of any colony observed to date.

===Culture:===
Sunny, moist, but well drained position. Drought and frost tolerant.

<div class="row">
<div class="small-0 large-6 columns">
[[File:Cycas_ophiolitica03.jpg|frame|Figure 2. ''C. ophiolitica'']]
</div>
<div class="small-0 large-6 columns">
[[File:Cycas_ophiolitica04.jpg|frame|Figure 3. Female ''C. ophiolitica'' with seeds. Note the distinctive blue tinge to the seeds.]]
</div>
</div>
<div class="row">
<div class="small-0 large-6 columns">
[[File:Cycas_ophiolitica05.jpg|frame|Figure 4. Female ''C. ophiolitica'' with young seeds.]]
</div>
<div class="small-0 large-6 columns">
[[File:Cycas_ophioliticaO.jpg|frame|Figure 5. ''C. ophiolitica'' in cultivation.]]
</div>
</div>
<div class="row">
<div class="small-0 large-6 columns">
[[File:Cycas_ophioliticaO02.jpg|frame|Figure 6. ''C. ophiolitica'' with seeds.]]
</div>
<div class="small-0 large-6 columns">
</div>
</div>
===Contributed by: ===
L. P. Butt (Text - from '''''Palms & Cycads''''' No. 27, Apr-Jun 1990).<br/>


===External Links:===
[https://www.cycadlist.org/taxon.php?Taxon_ID=176 World List], 
[https://www.iucnredlist.org/details/full/41974/0 IUCN],
[https://www.jstor.org/action/doBasicSearch?Query=Cycas+ophiolitica JSTOR],
[https://www.trebrown.com/plant_info.php?species=Cycas+ophiolitica Trebrown]
</p>
[https://www.google.com/search?q=%22Cycas+ophiolitica%22&amp;num=10&amp;sa=Google+Search Google],
[https://images.google.com/images?q=%22Cycas+ophiolitica%22&amp;hl=en&amp;btnG=Google+Search GoogleImages],
[https://www.flickr.com/search/?q=Cycas+ophiolitica Flickr],
<p>
[[Category:Cycas|ophiolitica]]
[[Category:Cycad|Cycas_ophiolitica]]