Sago palm

Queen sago

Longer, more arching fronds (up to 3 m) with wider, flat leaflets (not revolute). Tropical rather than subtropical; less cold-hardy. Same toxic mechanism.

Cardboard palm

Also a cycad (and also severely toxic to pets) but with thick, rounded, cardboard-textured leaflets rather than stiff needles. Shorter overall.

Chestnut dioon

Mexican cycad with stiffer, more blue-green fronds and broader leaflets. Same family of plants (cycads), same severe toxicity to pets.

Parlor palm

TRUE palm in Arecaceae — soft, flexible, non-toxic fronds on a slender reed-like stem. Often confused with sago palm in name despite being in a completely different plant lineage. Pet-safe.

Pygmy date palm

True palm — softer arching feathery fronds with sharp spines at the base of each frond. Genuine palm trunk (not caudex). Mildly toxic, not cycasin-toxic.

Bright indirect to 2–4 hours of direct sun.

Cycas revoluta is a sun-tolerant plant in its native range. Indoors, a south or west window is ideal; east exposure works with longer day length. Insufficient light shows as stretched, pale new flushes with unusually long internodes. Tolerates lower light but practically stops growing.

Seasonal: Nordic winters: tolerates the short daylight fine as a slow-growing species; supplementary light not essential.

Deeply when top 4–5 cm of soil is dry; reduce in winter.

Water thoroughly until runoff, then let the top 4–5 cm dry before watering again — roughly every 10–14 days in summer and every 3–4 weeks in winter. Cycas is adapted to seasonal drought and stores water in its caudex; overwatering is by far the most common cause of decline. Never let the pot sit in standing water.

Seasonal: Extend to 4–6 weeks between waterings from November to February if the plant is kept below 18 °C.

Fast-draining gritty mix.

A blend of 2 parts commercial cactus/succulent soil, 1 part coarse perlite or pumice, and 1 part horticultural grit works well. The mix must drain quickly — a dense compacted mix holds water around the caudex and invites rot. Terracotta pots accelerate drying.

Any — tolerates very dry indoor air.

Cycas revoluta is entirely tolerant of typical Nordic winter indoor humidity (20–30 %). No humidifier or pebble tray needed.

15–27 °C typical; tolerates brief dips to 0 °C.

One of the most cold-hardy cycads — established outdoor plants in the UK, southern Sweden, and coastal Norway tolerate brief sub-zero exposure, though new flushes are damaged below 5 °C. Indoors, normal heated room temperature is fine year-round.

Dilute balanced feed 2–3 times per year in spring and summer.

A balanced NPK (e.g. 10-10-10) at quarter the label rate in spring, midsummer, and early autumn is ample. Cycas is a light feeder; over-fertilising causes yellowing of older fronds. Some growers use a palm-specific fertiliser that adds magnesium and manganese, which the plant uses slightly more than average.

Seasonal: Do not feed from November through February.

Remove only dead or fully yellowed fronds at the base.

Cycas fronds persist for many years and continue to photosynthesise; do not prune them unless they are fully brown or damaged beyond repair. Cut dead fronds at the base of the petiole with clean sharp secateurs. Never remove a full flush of new growth, or the plant may skip its annual leaf production.

Every 3–5 years; prefers to be pot-bound.

Move up by only one pot size — a much larger pot holds cold wet soil around the caudex and invites rot. Repot in spring just as a new flush begins. The root system is coarse and wiry; handle gently. Any offsets ('pups') visible at the base can be removed during repotting.

Ingestion causes severe vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhoea, and in larger doses acute liver failure with hepatotoxicity, coagulopathy, and potential death. The seeds carry the highest toxin load. Historical consumption of detoxified sago starch from related species is only safe after extensive processing.

Mechanism: Cycasin (a glycoside that is hydrolysed by gut bacteria to the potent hepatotoxin methylazoxymethanol — MAM), plus β-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA), a neurotoxic non-protein amino acid.

Vomiting (often bloody), severe diarrhoea, lethargy, ataxia, seizures, and acute liver failure. Mortality is high even with aggressive treatment.

Mechanism: Cycasin metabolised by gut bacteria to methylazoxymethanol — acute hepatotoxicity.

Vomiting (frequently bloody), severe diarrhoea, lethargy, abdominal pain, jaundice, neurological signs, and acute liver failure that is often fatal even with aggressive veterinary care. Reported mortality rates in published case series range from 30 % to over 50 %.

Mechanism: Cycasin metabolised by gut bacteria to methylazoxymethanol — acute hepatotoxicity.