WebSafe 3.7mindat.org
|
|
🏠
Log InRegister
Quick Links : The Mindat ManualThe Rock H. Currier Digital LibraryMindat Newsletter [Free Download]
Home PageAbout MindatThe Mindat ManualHistory of MindatCopyright StatusWho We AreContact UsAdvertise on Mindat
Donate to MindatCorporate SponsorshipSponsor a PageSponsored PagesMindat AdvertisersAdvertise on Mindat
Learning CenterWhat is a mineral?The most common minerals on earthInformation for EducatorsMindat ArticlesThe ElementsThe Rock H. Currier Digital LibraryGeologic Time
Minerals by PropertiesMinerals by ChemistryAdvanced Locality SearchRandom MineralRandom LocalitySearch by minIDLocalities Near MeSearch ArticlesSearch GlossaryMore Search Options
The Mindat ManualAdd a New PhotoRate PhotosLocality Edit ReportCoordinate Completion ReportAdd Glossary Item
Mining CompaniesStatisticsUsersMineral MuseumsClubs & OrganizationsMineral Shows & EventsThe Mindat DirectoryDevice SettingsThe Mineral QuizTime Machine
Photo SearchPhoto GalleriesSearch by ColorNew Photos TodayNew Photos YesterdayMembers' Photo GalleriesPast Photo of the Day GalleryPhotography

Cycadopsida

This page is currently not sponsored. Click here to sponsor this page.
Description
For the insect, see Cicada.

Cycads are seed plants with a very long fossil history that were formerly more abundant and more diverse than they are today. They typically have a stout and woody (ligneous) trunk with a crown of large, hard and stiff, evergreen leaves. They usually have pinnate leaves. The individual plants are either all male or all female (dioecious). Cycads vary in size from having trunks only a few centimeters to several meters tall. They typically grow very slowly and live very long, with some specimens known to be as much as 1,000 years old. Because of their superficial resemblance, they are sometimes mistaken for palms or ferns, but they are not closely related to either group.


Source Data
SourceIDLink
Global Biodiversity Information Facility ID (GBIF)228https://www.gbif.org/species/228
PaleoBioDB ID (PBDB)54800https://paleobiodb.org/classic/checkTaxonInfo?taxon_no=54800
Rankclass
Taxonomy (GBIF)Life : Plantae : Tracheophyta : Cycadopsida
Taxonomy (PBDB)Life : Plantae : Cycadophyta : Cycadopsida
Taxonomic Status (GBIF)accepted
Classification
(PBDB,GBIF)
RankNameAuthor
-Eukaryota
kingdomPlantaeHaeckel 1866
subkingdomEmbryophytaCrane et al. 2004
phylumCycadophytaBessey 1907
classCycadopsidaBrongniart 1843
Common Namecycads
Scientific NameCycadopsida
Opinions (PBDB)
NameRankOpinionEvidenceAuthor
Cycadopsidaclassbelongs to Pinophytastated with evidenceMeyen, 1984
Cycadopsidaclassbelongs to Cycadophytastated without evidenceLapasha and Miller, 1985
Cycadopsidaclassbelongs to Gymnospermaestated without evidenceMabberley, 2000
Cycadopsidaclassbelongs to Cycadophytastated with evidenceDoweld, 2001
Status (PBDB)extant
Taxon Size (PBDB)154
Extant Size (PBDB)18 (12%)
First Recorded Appearance290 - 279 Ma
Permian
Primary Reference (PBDB)D.J. Mabberley. 2000. The Plant-Book, 2nd ed. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, 858 p.
Common Name(s) Cycads
Wikipediahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cycadopsida

Fossil Distribution

Subtaxa

NameStatusCommon Name(s)Fossil OccurrencesOldestYoungest
Cycadales
order
accepted (GBIF)
listed (PBDB)
1,570290 Ma
Permian
0 Ma
Extant
Dioales
order
listed (PBDB)156.0 Ma
Paleocene
0 Ma
Extant
Gnetales
order
accepted (GBIF)
listed (PBDB)
583265 Ma
Permian
0 Ma
Extant
Lagenostomales
order
listed (PBDB)
Trigonocarpales
order
listed (PBDB)
Welwitschiales
order
accepted (GBIF)
listed (PBDB)
0 Ma
Extant
Boweniaceae
family
listed (PBDB)
Buteoxylaceae
family
accepted (GBIF)No associated record in PBDB
Cycadeoideaceae
family
accepted (GBIF)No associated record in PBDB
Nilssoniaceae
family
accepted (GBIF)No associated record in PBDB
Stangeriaceae
family
listed (PBDB)
Sturianthaceae
family
accepted (GBIF)No associated record in PBDB
Taeniopteridaceae
family
accepted (GBIF)No associated record in PBDB
Westersheimiaceae
family
accepted (GBIF)No associated record in PBDB
Williamsoniaceae
family
accepted (GBIF)No associated record in PBDB
Williamsoniellaceae
family
accepted (GBIF)No associated record in PBDB
Anomozamites
genus
accepted (GBIF)No associated record in PBDB
Dictyozamites
genus
accepted (GBIF)No associated record in PBDB
Nageiopsis
genus
accepted (GBIF)No associated record in PBDB
Nilssoniopteris
genus
accepted (GBIF)
listed (PBDB)
128242 Ma
Middle Triassic
152 Ma
Late Jurassic
Otozamites
genus
accepted (GBIF)
listed (PBDB)
386252 Ma
Permian
122 Ma
Early/Lower Cretaceous
Palaeanthus
genus
accepted (GBIF)No associated record in PBDB
Pterophyllum
genus
accepted (GBIF)
listed (PBDB)
766304 Ma
Carboniferous
105 Ma
Early/Lower Cretaceous
Sahnioxylon
genus
accepted (GBIF)No associated record in PBDB
Sphenolepis
genus
accepted (GBIF)No associated record in PBDB
Tysonia
genus
accepted (GBIF)No associated record in PBDB

Synonymy List

YearName and Author
1843Cycadopsida Brongniart pp. xxxii, 136
1984Cycadopsida Meyen p. 89
1985Cycadopsida Lapasha and Miller
2000Cycadopsida Mabberley
2001Cycadopsida Doweld p. iii

References

Mabberley D.J. (2000) The Plant-Book, 2nd ed., Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, 858 p.
Meyen S. V. (1984) Basic features of gymnosperm systematics and phylogeny as evidenced by the fossil record, Botanical Review 50 1, 1-111
Lapasha C. A., Miller C. N. (1985) Flora of the Early Cretaceous Kootenai Formation in Montana, Bryophytes and Tracheophytes Excluding Conifers, Palaeontographica Abteilung B 196, 111-145
Doweld A. B. (2001) Prosyllabus Tracheophytorum. Tentamen Systematis Plantarum Vascularium
Ruggiero, M. A.; Gordon, D. P.; Orrell, T. M.; Bailly, N.; Bourgoin, T.; Brusca, R. C.; Cavalier-Smith, T.; Guiry, M. D.; Kirk, P. M. (2015). Correction: A Higher Level Classification of All Living Organisms. PLoS ONE. 10(4): e0119248. - via World Register of Marine Species
Data courtesy of: PBDB: The Paleobiology Database, Creative Commons CC-BY licenced. , GBIF: the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, various licences, iDigBio, various licences, and EOL: The Encyclopedia of Life (Open Data Public Domain). Because fossils are made of minerals too!
 
Mindat.org® is an outreach project of the Hudson Institute of Mineralogy, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. Mindat® and mindat.org® are registered trademarks of the Hudson Institute of Mineralogy.
Copyright © mindat.org and the Hudson Institute of Mineralogy 1993-2026, except where stated. Most political location boundaries are © OpenStreetMap contributors. Mindat.org relies on the contributions of thousands of members and supporters. Founded in 2000 by Jolyon Ralph and Ida Chau.
To cite: Ralph, J., Von Bargen, D., Martynov, P., Zhang, J., Que, X., Prabhu, A., Morrison, S. M., Li, W., Chen, W., & Ma, X. (2025). Mindat.org: The open access mineralogy database to accelerate data-intensive geoscience research. American Mineralogist, 110(6), 833–844. doi:10.2138/am-2024-9486.
Privacy Policy - Terms & Conditions - Contact Us / DMCA issues - Report a bug/vulnerability Current server date and time: February 23, 2026 21:40:23 Page updated: August 13, 2025 17:03:49
Go to top of page