Cycads are living fossils!
Cycad plants served as a main food source for dinosaurs during the Jurassic Period more than 200 million years ago, and are still growing today. Because they made up almost 20% of plant life during the Jurassic, this is often called the "Age of Cycads."
Although they resemble palms, cycads are more closely related to conifers. They are gymnosperms, meaning they have wood like a tree and produce seeds that are open to the air for pollination.
Includes label
Type: Cycad Frond
Species: Otomites sp.
Age: Early Jurassic (200 - 174 million years old)
Formation: Talkeetna Formation
Locality: Matanuska Valley, Alaska
Size of Specimen: 2.75 x 2.5 x .63 inches
Weight: 1.4 oz.