The Climatron is home to many different kinds of cycads from warm areas all over the world. Some of our cycads were exhibited in the 1904 World's Fair and are approximately 200 years old. Cycads look similar to palms, but are not related.
Many cycads have sharp spines on their leathery leaves for protection.
Their relatives can be traced back nearly 300 million years, which makes them some of the oldest plants known. Cycads lived both during and after the time when the dinosaurs ruled the earth. When cycads reproduce, both male and female plants produce large cones at the top of their stems. These cones produce pollen in the males and eggs in the female cycads. Small beetles carry the pollen from the male cone to the female cone in many species.