Taxonomy:
– C. circinallis is native to southern India and Sri Lanka
– The species name was formerly widely used for similar cycads in Southeast Asia
– Specimens described as C. circinallis in Indonesia and New Guinea are now recognized as Cycas rumphii
– The taxon formerly described as the subspecies C. circinallis ssp. riuminiana from the Philippines is now regarded as Cycas riuminiana
Cultivation:
– The plant is widely cultivated in Hawaii for landscape and interiors
– It is also cultivated for cut foliage
– Male cone and young shoots are parts of the plant
– Seeds and collected seeds are important for cultivation
– Young plants as seen in forests and leaves are notable features
Use as food:
– The seed is poisonous
– Poison in the seeds is removed by soaking them in water
– Water from the first seed-soaking will kill birds, goats, sheep, and hogs
– After several soakings, the seeds are dried and ground into flour
– The flour is used to make tortillas, tamales, soup, and porridge
Lytico-bodig disease:
– The plant was thought to be linked with lytico-bodig disease on Guam
– The cycad native to Guam has been recognized as a separate species, Cycas micronesica
– The link with the disease was established by K.D. Hill in 1994
Chemistry:
– Leaflets of C. circinalis contain biflavonoids
– One of the biflavonoids present is (2S, 2′′S)-2,3,2′′,3′′-tetrahydro-4′,4′′′-di-O-methylamentoflavone
References:
– Varghese, A.; Krishnamurthy, V.; Garnesan, R. & Manu, K. (2010)
– Lindstrom, Anders; Hill, Kenneth; Stanberg, Leonie (15 February 2008)
– Lindstrom, Anders; Hill, Kenneth; Stanberg, Leonie (26 October 2009)
– Iwata, Ruth Y.; Rauch, Fred D. (October 1988)
– Spatz, Maria (October 1969)