EXTERNAL MORPHOLOGY OF CYCAS SPOROPHYTE
1. It belongs to the sporophytic generation
2. Cycas is a Palmlike, overgreen plant
3. It is about 3 to 5 metres
4. The stem is Woody and unbranched
5. The plant body consists of a columnar aerial trunk with a Crown of pinnately compound
leaves as its top
6. The sporophyte is differentiated into roots, stem and leaves
ROOTS
Roots in cycas are of two types
1. Normal tap roots forming a tap root system
2. Coralloid roots
NORMAL TAP ROOTS
1. Normal tap roots are positively geotropic
2. Growth deep into the soil generally possess no root hairs
3. Their function is to fix the plant in the soil
4. To obsorb water and other minerals
CORALLOID ROOTS
1. From the normal roots develop some lateral branches near the ground surface
2. This lateral roots get infected with bacteria, fungi and algae and are called coralloid
roots
3. They grow first horizontally in the soil and became swollen and their tips
4. They divide repeatedly to form big branches of greenish or brown structure which are
Coral like in appearance
5. They divide dichotomously they are apogeotropic (come out of the soil from the ground
surface) phototropic in nature
6. Young plants were more coralloid roots than the older ones
INTERNAL MORPHOLOGY : T.S OF YOUNG ROOTS OF CYCAS
It is circular in outline structurally resembles with dicotyledons
It is differentiated into epiblema,cortex and stele
EPIBLEMA
1. It is made up of single layer of cells
2. It surrounds a large thin walled parenchymatous cortex
3. It consists of tangentially elongated cells
4. From this elongated cells, some of its cells arises root hairs
CORTEX
1. It is made up of several layers of thin walled parenchymatous cells with intercellular
spaces
2. Cells of the cortex remain filled with starch some
3. Some tannin and sometimes sphaeraphides are also present in the cortex
4. The cortex is delimited by a single layered endodermis
STELE
1. It consists of outermost layer called as pericycle
2. The vascular bundle is radial and tetrarch with exarch xylem
CORALLOID ROOTS
1. the structure is similar to that of the primary root there is conspicuous broad blue zone
in the middle cortex this is the algal zone
2. it lies midway between the vascular bundle and the epiblema
3. In this region,the cortical cells get disorganised and are inhabited by blue green algae
(cyanobacteria) like nostoc, anabaena, bacteria like pseudomonas and azato bacter
4. they leave symbiotically as they fix nitrogen for host cycas plant
5. In return they get food and shelter from cycas plant
6. The secondary vascular tissue in coralloid roots is either totally absent or poorly
developed
7. The cortex is wider in comparison with normal root
Stem
1. The stem is thick, woody and usually unbranched
2. It is tuberous when young but columnar, erect and stout at maturity
3. The stem bears adventitious buds at the base
4. They are large and are covered with scales
5. They are often called bulbils
6. Serve as a means of vegetative propagation when the condition become
favourable,each bulbil developed into a new plant
7. The stem of male cycas plant shows sympodial growth
8. The female plant monopodial in growth
T.S of young stem of cycas
It is differentiated into epidermis, cortex and stele
EPIDERMIS
1. It is the outermost layer consisting of compactly arrange thick walled cells presence of
several Persistent leaf bases make the epidermis a discontinuous and ruptured layer
CORTEX
2. It is large
3. Consist of thin walled,parenchymatous cells densely filled with starch grains numerous
mucilage canals are found in this region
4. They are connected with the mucilage canals of the Pith by medullary rays
5. The cortex is followed by indistinct endoderm
STELE
1. Endodermis and pericycle are not distinct
2. Numerous vascular bundles remain arranged in a ring each vascular bundle is
conjoint ,Collateral open and endarch
3. The xylem consists of tracheids and xylem parenchyma
4. Vessels are absent
5. Phloem is located outside the xylem and consists of sieve tubes and Phloem
parenchyma
6. Companion cells are absent between the xylem and phloem lies the primary cambium
which remains active only for a short period
7. Pith is large, well developed and parenchymatous cells in starch
8. It is traversed by numerous mucilage canals
RACHIS
It is differentiated into epidermis, ground tissue and vascular bundles
EPIDERMIS
1. It is the outermost layer of the rachis
2. It is consisting of thick walled cells
3. On its upper as well as lower sides are present irregularly distributed sunken stomata
4. It is protective in function hypodermis is present below the epidermis
5. It is differentiated into outer 2 to 3 layers of chlorophyll containing thin walled cells of
chlorenchyma
6. Inner 4 to 6 layers of thick walled lignified cells of sclerenchyma
7. Sclerenchyma is poorly developed on the lateral sides
8. It is also seen intermixed with chlorenchyma
GROUND TISSUE
1. It is large region consisting of thin walled parenchymatous cells many mucilaginous
canals and
2. Vascular bundles are present in this region mucilage Canal is a double layered structure
VASCULAR BUNDLE
1. These are arranged in the shape of an inverted Greek letter Omega ( )
2. Each vascular bundle remains surrounded by a bundle sheath
3. It is conjoint, Collateral and open
4. The xylem in each vascular bundle is present towards the inner side
5. It consisting of tracheids and xylem parenchyma cambium separates the xylem from the
phloem and inactive
6. Vessels are absence
7. Xylem is in the form of triangular patch and mesarch
8. The vascular bundles show different structure at different levels of rachis from the base
to the apex
LEAFLET
A vertical section of leaflets in the region of midrib shows the following tissues
CUTICLE
1. The upper surface of the leaf is covered with a thick cuticle
2. It serves to check excessive transpiration
EPIDERMIS
1. It forms the outermost layer on both the surface of the leaflet
2. It consists of a single layer of thick walled parenchymatous cells
3. The upper epidermis is continuous but the lower is punctured here and there with pits
or stomata
HYPODERMIS
1. It forms a single layer of thickened cells on both sides immediately below the epidermis
2. Hypodermis sclerenchymatous
3. It checks excessive transpiration
4. Serves as a heat screen preventing over heating
MESOPHYLL TISSUE
1. It is well developed and remains differentiated into palisade and spongy parenchyma
2. It lies on both sides between the upper and lower epidermis
3. A continuous layer of palisade is present below the sclerenchymatous hypodermis
4. It cells are radially elongated filled with chloroplasts
5. It functions as the main photosynthetic tissue spongy parenchyma is present directly
above the lower epidermis
6. It cells are oval filled with chloroplasts
7. loosely arrange having many air filled intercellular spaces
TRANSMISSION TISSUE
1. On either side of the midrib between the Palisade and spongy layer is a zone
2. 3 cells thick ,of elongated colourless cells
3. These cells are run parallel to the leaf surface from the midrib to the margin
4. It constitutes the accessory transfusion tissue
5. It helps in lateral conduction
VASCULAR BUNDLE
1. There is only one vascular
2. Present in the midrib region of the leaflet
3. It is conjoint,collateral and open
4. It is surrounded by sclerenchymatous bundle sheath
5. The xylem is mesarch
MALE CONE
1. The male cone or male strobilus is a large, conical or ovoid, compact, solitary and
shortly-stalked structure
2. It is generally terminal in position.
3. On which microsporophylls (Male reproductive organs called microsporophylls)
4. Are arranged spirally.
5. Each microsporophyll is 5cm long, dry, brown, scale like and
Triangular.
6. All the microsporophyll’s in a male cone are fertile except a few at its basal and apical
parts.
7. Microsporophyll’s are flat, leaf -like, woody and brown-coloured structures with narrow
base and expanded upper portion.
8. The upper expanded portion becomes pointed and is called apophysis. Narrow base is
attached to the cone axis with a short stalk.
9. Each microsporophyll contains two surfaces, i.e. An adaxial or upper surface and an
abaxial or lower surface.
10. On the adaxial surface is present a ridge -like projection in the middle and an apophysis
at the apex
11. On the abaxial surface are present thousands of microsporangia in the middle region in
the groups of 3-5.
12. Each such group is called a sorus.
13. Microsporangia contains diploid microspore mother cells.
14. At maturity, they undergo meiosis to form haploid microspores.
FEMALE
1. Female reproductive organ called megasporophyll- There is no female cone.
2. Each megasporophyll consists of basal thick, fleshy and cylindrical
3. region and distal expanded region, covered by brown woolly hair.
4. The basal region laterally bears three to five pairs of sessile ovules.
5. The ovule of Cycas is oval, large, sessile, orthotropous (Micropyle up and chalaza at
base) and is exposed.
6. It encloses diploid nucellus, at the apex nucellus develops a beak like projection to
enclose a cavity called pollen chamber.
7. A single integument arises from the base of the nucellus.
8. At maturity, one of the diploid cells of nucellus, gets differentiated into megaspore
mother cell.
9. It undergoes meiosis to form four haploid megaspores.
10. The basal megaspore is functional, it forms female prothallus or female gametophyte.
11. It develops two to five archegonia.
12. Each archegonium consists of a short neck and a large venter.
13. The neck consists of two neck cells, the venter encloses large egg cell at base and
ventral canal cell towards neck.
14. The egg nucleus is about 0.5mm in diameter and is the largest in the plant kingdom.
POLLINATION AND FERTILIZATION
1. Pollination is anemophilous.
2. The pollen grain germinates within the pollen chamber.
3. The two top shaped spermatozoids are formed.
4. The spermatozoid is liberated in the neck of the archegonium, which fuses with egg
nucleus to form diploid oospore.
5. The fertilization is siphonogamous.
6. The hard, oval, brown seed is formed which is dicotyledonous and endospermic.
7. The germination of seed is hypogeal, which results in formation
8. of new Cycas plant.
ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE OF CYCAS:
1. Cycas is used as a source of food in Japan, Australia, South East Asia, southern and eastern
parts of India and some other countries. It is used in the preparation of starch and alcoholic
drinks. The starch, extracted from its stem, is called ‘sa go’.‘Sago’ is prepared in the following
way:The bark of the trunk is removed, and the trunk is cut into thin discs. These are dried,
ground and a paste is prepared by adding water Excess of water is added, and the paste is left
for some time in a standstill position. The starch settles down, and the clear upper liquid is
drained off. Between the boards, the starch is rolled. This gives the starch a characteristic round
shape. It is finally dried and sold as ‘sago’ in the market
2. In Japan, seeds and stem of Cycas revoluta are used for preparing wine.
3. The juice obtained from young leaves of Cycas circinalis is used in skin diseases, vomiting of
blood and stomach disorders
4. The decoction of young red seeds of C. circinalis is used as a purgative and emetic
5. To relieve the headache, giddiness and sore throat, the seeds of Cycas revoluta are prepared
in the form of a tincture and used.
6. Cycas revoluta and C. circinalis plants are grown for ornamental purposes in various parts of
the world
7. The wood of Cycas revoluta is used for preparing small boxes and dishes
8. Cycas leaves, being very large, are used for preparing baskets, mats, etc
9. Cycas circinalis seeds are used in Democratic Kampuchea as a fish -poison.
