Rejuvenates the nervous system. Stimulates the pancreas and kidneys. Reduces the viscosity of the blood. The cycads were common when the dinosaurs roamed the earth. Today, somewhere around 200 species survive.
Cycads have one of two growth habits.
In the palm-like species, the stem may be unbranched or have a very limited number of branches, and the leaves form a crown at the top of the stem. In the fern-like species, the leaves are the only vegetative part of the plant seen above the ground. The stem is subterranean. Most cycads have once pinnately compound leaves. One or two species in the genus Zamia occur in Florida.