Top of a Cycas revoluta with dark green fronds radiating above its trunk

Large Cycas revoluta sago palm with a broad crown of arching green fronds

Young Cycas revoluta in a beige pot, showing a short trunk and slender green fronds

Three small Cycas revoluta sago palms in nursery pots with compact feathery crowns

Small Cycas revoluta with upright fronds emerging from a young woody base

Close-up of Cycas revoluta fronds with rows of fine, narrow green leaflets

Medium Cycas revoluta with a short brown trunk and narrowly arching green fronds

Three medium Cycas revoluta plants in dark pots with compact crowns of green fronds

Cycas revoluta in a grey pot with a compact crown of stiff green leaflets

Arching Cycas revoluta leaves forming a dense ring of narrow pointed leaflets

Potted Cycas revoluta with upright featherlike leaves and a visible fibrous base

Three large Cycas revoluta plants with slightly different frond shapes and heights

Single Cycas revoluta in a dark pot with a short trunk and upright fronds

Cycas revoluta with fresh light green fronds among darker mature foliage

Large Cycas revoluta showing stiff radial fronds above a thick textured trunk

Three extra-large Cycas revoluta sago palms arranged in grey nursery containers

Potted Cycas revoluta viewed from the side, with a rounded crown and exposed woody base

Three large Cycas revoluta plants with short textured trunks and upright green fronds

Cycadaceae

Cycas revoluta

Sago Palm

Cycas revoluta is an evergreen cycad with a broad crown of firm feathered fronds. New leaves emerge together from the centre and mature to glossy deep green.

Read full guide to Cycas revoluta

€21,00

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Choose a size

S Pot Ø 12 cm · approx. 35 cm tall M Pot Ø 14 cm · approx. 45 cm tall L Pot Ø 17 cm · approx. 55 cm tall XL Pot Ø 24 cm · approx. 80 cm tall

Variant

Sizes are approximate. Height is measured from the bottom of the pot to the top of the plant; diameter at the widest point.

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Care at a glance

Cycas revoluta

Light

Very bright / some direct • approx. 20,000–40,000 lux

Watering

Water when ~90–100% dry

Substrate

Airy • Fast-draining • Mineral-leaning • Fine-medium

Temperature

Ideal: 18–28 °C • Avoid below: 10 °C

Humidity

Average 40–50%

Growth habit

Upright cycad.

Support

not needed

Growth speed

Slow

Cultivated size guide

Height: 150 cm • Spread: 100 cm

Origin & habitat

Native to Fujian in southeastern China, southern Japan and eastern Taiwan

Outdoor growing

Outside from 10 °C · winter-protected spot

How to read these values

These care values give practical guidance for growing the plant. Adjust care for pot size, substrate, temperature and how quickly the substrate dries.

For more detail, read the full product description or visit our Plant Care Guides.

Light: level and approximate lux at leaf level.
Watering: “% dry” shows how far the substrate should dry before watering again.
Substrate: structure, drainage, moisture retention, base material and particle size.
Temperature: “Ideal” shows the preferred range; “Avoid below” marks the cold-stress threshold.
Humidity: target range; steady conditions usually matter more than exact numbers.

Growth habit: how the plant grows, such as upright, climbing, trailing, clumping or rosette-forming.
Support: whether a stake, pole or trellis is needed, optional or unnecessary.
Growth speed: expected pace under suitable growing conditions; use as a guide, not a promise.

Cultivated size guide: approximate dimensions for an established plant in the stated growing context. Height is measured upwards from the growing surface; foliage height excludes flower stems. Trailing length follows a stem, while foliage drop is the vertical distance from the crown to the lowest leaf tips. Spread is the width of the leafy plant or crown, not an individual leaf. Flowering height includes the flower stems. A container guide applies to pot-grown plants; an in-ground guide applies to plants rooted in the ground. Size also depends on age, conditions, pot space and training.

These figures do not describe the size supplied and are not fixed upper limits.

Toxicity & safety: irritation, toxicity or physical hazards such as spines or bristles.
Origin & habitat: native range, hybrid background or typical habitat where relevant.
Outdoor growing: when a potted indoor plant can be placed outside and what outdoor protection it needs.

Cycas revoluta

Cycas revoluta is long-lived. As the crown matures, the fronds gradually occupy more space around the trunk.

Crown, fronds and trunk of Cycas revoluta

Crown: Fronds rise from a single central growing point and spread into a broad circle.
Fronds: Each stiff arching frond carries many narrow, firm leaflets with a glossy dark green surface.
Trunk: Older plants build a thick textured trunk marked by old leaf bases.
New shoots: Established plants may produce extra shoots around the base of the trunk.

Origin & background

Natural range of Cycas revoluta

Cycas revoluta is native to parts of southeastern China, southern Japan and eastern Taiwan.

It grows as a subtropical shrub and belongs to Cycadaceae, the cycad family. Male and female reproductive structures are produced on separate plants.

Plant care

Caring for Cycas revoluta

Light: Give very bright light with gentle direct sun. Increase direct sun gradually after a move.
Temperature: Keep temperatures around 18–28 °C. Avoid prolonged temperatures below 10 °C. Warm to moderate conditions suit container plants. Protect the pot and crown from hard frost.
Humidity: Aim for 40–50% humidity.
Watering: Let the mix dry almost completely before watering again. Water thoroughly once the root zone is dry through most of the pot, then allow all excess water to drain.
Potting mix: Use a well-draining mix with loam plus grit, pumice or coarse perlite.
Feeding: Apply a balanced fertiliser as fresh fronds begin to appear.
Repotting: Repot when roots pack the container or drainage becomes noticeably slower. Use a slightly larger pot only when the roots need more space; otherwise replace the mix in the same-sized container. Keep the centre of the crown above the mix.
Grooming: Remove fully brown fronds close to the trunk and leave the central growing point undamaged.

Issues & solutions

Signs of trouble on Cycas revoluta

White crusts form on fronds or the trunk: Cycad aulacaspis scale is one possibility, but pale plant residues alone are not proof. Examine the leaflets, petiole bases and trunk for living scale insects. Isolate a confirmed infestation and remove accessible scale carefully. If further control is needed, use only a locally authorised product specifically labelled for the identified scale on ornamental cycads, observing permitted application sites and repeats.
New fronds develop yellow, distorted or brown tissue: Manganese shortage can affect new cycad growth, but root stress, low temperature and pests can cause similar damage. Check the growing point, drainage and roots before adding nutrients. Choose a complete fertiliser suitable for cycads only if deficiency is plausible and avoid treating every distorted leaf as a manganese diagnosis.
Lower fronds yellow while the root ball stays wet: Compacted, very wet mix can stress the roots. Improve drainage and replace dense old mix if moisture lingers.
Tiny pale speckles appear across the leaflets: Spider mites can cause these scattered marks. Inspect the undersides, rinse the fronds thoroughly and recheck the newest leaves.

Safety

Cycas revoluta is toxic to people and pets

Keep every part of this plant away from children, cats and dogs, especially the seeds.
All parts contain cycasin and related toxins, with the seeds posing the greatest risk.
After any ingestion: Treat suspected consumption as an emergency, even if there are no immediate symptoms. Contact a veterinarian immediately for a pet or emergency medical/poison services for a person. All parts are poisonous, and seeds are especially dangerous; poisoning can cause severe liver injury and may be fatal. Do not induce vomiting or give home treatments unless a professional directs you to.

Names & etymology

How the name Cycas revoluta came about

Cycas comes from Greek kykas, an old written form related to koikas, a word used for palms. The Latin epithet revoluta means rolled backwards and describes the strongly recurved edges of the leaflets.

Carl Linnaeus established the genus Cycas in 1753 in Species Plantarum, page 1188.

Carl Peter Thunberg first described Cycas revoluta in 1782 in Verhandelingen van de Hollandsche Maatschappij der Wetenschappen te Haarlem, volume 20, page 424.

Plant names, growth habits, natural habitats and indoor care guidance are checked against trusted botanical, habitat and horticultural references before publication.View our plant care resources and references.