Three flies one shot:
- Legend has it that cycads can change sex!
- Legend has it that the pollen of cycads can give you lung disease!
Not true, the Americans in the Japanese war, on the islands was given red bull with the same ingredients to give them go!!! that's what caused their problem!!!
Article to state just that to follow!!!
Check out these pic's and the bees collecting pollen, nature do not lie!!!! Pollen of cycads is not toxic like everybody believes, you can become allergic to pollen!!! And that's it!!!
The best for last, some people believe cycads can change sex, others do not believe, someone sold you a female Cycad and it coned male!!! Plenty rumors around!!!
Give your Cycad a lot of water, with very good drainage and it might change sex, from male to female, not the other way around! E. Eugene Maraisii seedling planted and 10 years later we have female coning out of 100 cycads same age!!! Second year around, another two cycads coned, female! Yet no males! Third year around (now 12 years) another 2 females coned and guess what, the first male cones!
Picture below show an E. Cerinus cone with seed, female and pollen sackets male, both sexes on one plant, with bees!
You might say you have never seen this, the only reason why this is not often seen is that the encephalartos male cones do not open big enough for the bees to get in there!
When you see a C. Revoluta male cone and it is shredding pollen check out the bees, you will definitely find them there!
