An ancient relic endangered today
Cycas debaoensis
Family: Cycadaceae
Conservation status: Critically Endangered
Among the oldest and simplest seed plants, cycads are evolutionary relics, predating the dinosaurs. They first appeared during the late Carboniferous or early Permian period, about 300 million years ago.
Cycads are thought to be among the earliest representations of the gymnosperm lineage that also includes conifers, ginkgoes, and gnetophytes.
Endemic to the Guangxi region of China, Cycas debaoensis is one of only two known cycads with multi-pinnate leaves. Its leaves are tri-pinnate with spines along the rachis, the primary stalk of the leaf.
Because it is found in a small and rapidly degrading habitat, Cycas debaoensis is considered critically endangered. The estimated population in 2005 was just 1,125 plants, with 90 percent of specimens at a single location.