''Cycas brunnea'' is a species of

cycad Cycads are seed plants that typically have a stout and woody (ligneous) trunk (botany), trunk with a crown (botany), crown of large, hard, stiff, evergreen and (usually) pinnate leaves. The species are dioecious, that is, individual plants o ...

in the genus '' Cycas'', native to northern

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

in northwest

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

and northeast

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory ...

in a small area straddling the border of the two regions. It occurs on exposed sites in savanna and creek valleys on

sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) ...

and

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

derived soils, with moderate seasonal rainfall. The stems grow to 2–5 m tall, with numerous

leaves A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...

in the crown. The leaves are 1.2-1.7 m long, glabrous with age, pinnate, with 160-240 leaflets, the leaflets 17–27 cm long and 6–7.5 mm wide. The petioles are covered in brown tomentum and armed with sharp spines. The female cones are open, with sporophylls 28–32 cm long. Orange tomentose covering cone, with serrations along margins of the lamina. The

sarcotesta The sarcotesta is a fleshy seedcoat, a type of testa. Examples of seeds with a sarcotesta are pomegranate and some cycad seeds. The sarcotesta of pomegranate seeds consists of epidermal cells derived from the integument, and there are no aril ...

is orange and glaucous, the

sclerotesta This page provides a glossary of plant morphology. Botanists and other biologists who study plant morphology use a number of different terms to classify and identify plant organs and parts that can be observed using no more than a handheld magnify ...

ovoid and flattened. The male cones are solitary and long ovoid, 21 cm long and 13 cm diameter, brown tomentose, and with an upturned apical spine. It was first described in 1992, and is similar in appearance to ''

Cycas angulata ''Cycas angulata'' is a species of cycad in the genus ''Cycas'', native to Australia in northeast Northern Territory (lower reaches of the Foelsche, Robinson and Wearyan Rivers near Borroloola) and northwest Queensland ( Bountiful Islands). I ...

''. It is considered near-threatened due to its restricted range, though it occurs in some protected areas including Boodjamulla National Park. It is named after the Greek word ''brunneus'' (brown), as the emergent leaves are brown

tomentose Trichomes (); ) are fine outgrowths or appendages on plants, algae, lichens, and certain protists. They are of diverse structure and function. Examples are hairs, glandular hairs, scales, and papillae. A covering of any kind of hair on a plant ...

References

Cycad Pages: ''Cycas brunnea''IUCN Redlist: ''Cycas brunnea''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5197923 brunnea Flora of the Northern Territory Flora of Queensland Cycadophyta of Australia Endemic flora of Australia Near threatened flora of Australia Near threatened biota of Queensland Nature Conservation Act rare biota Rare flora of Australia