Steen suggests cutting off all coontie leaves in late spring . If done in May, the time between trimming and the new flush of leaves is minimized. Another secret to cycad survival may be their arsenal of defenses. In spite of their toxicity, cycads have served as a food source for native cultures around the world, from the Americas to Australia. In Florida, the sweet potato-like tubers of the coontie were treated to remove toxins and then made into flour, Steen says.
Cycads are rare for a number of reasons.
Their method of reproduction is one. There are male and female plants. There are male and female king sagos, as there are both sexes of queen sagos. For there to be fertilized seeds, there must be a male and female plant in relatively close proximity. In addition, some cycads have very specific insect pollinators, which may not be present if the plant is grown in an area where it is not native.