''Cycas multipinnata'' (or ''Epicycas multipinnata'') is a species of

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

(faily Cycadaceae) in

southwestern China Southwest China () is a region in the south of the People's Republic of China. Geography Southwest China is a rugged and mountainous region, transitioning between the Tibetan Plateau to the west and the Chinese coastal hills (东南丘陵) and ...

and

northern Vietnam Northern Vietnam ( vi, Bắc Bộ) is one of three geographical regions within Vietnam. It consists of three administrative regions: the Northwest (Vùng Tây Bắc), the Northeast (Vùng Đông Bắc), and the Red River Delta (Đồng Bằng S ...

. It is noteworthy for three things: First it is one of the tuberous species which some taxonomists segregate as the genus ''Epicycas''. Secondly, it has the longest leaf stalks ( petioles) of any Gymnosperm; up to . Cultivated plants have had petioles as long as thirteen feet (four meters). The total length of the bipinnate frond can be up to 23 feet seven meters) The ultimate pinnules are "Y" shaped. Thirdly, this very conspicuous plant escaped notice until 1994. Among Gymnosperms, these fronds are exceeded in mass only by Encephalartos laurentianus.

Distribution

''Cycas multipinnata'' is found in: *Red River gorge in eastern Yunnan *Honghe Nature Cycad Reserve, Yunnan *Xilong Mountain Natural Reserve, Yunnan *western Guangxi, China *

Yen Bai Province The is the official currency of Japan. It is the third-most traded currency in the foreign exchange market, after the United States dollar (US$) and the euro. It is also widely used as a third reserve currency after the US dollar and th ...

, northern Vietnam It likely occurs in Honghe, Jianshui, Mengla, and Mile counties of

Yunnan Yunnan , () is a landlocked province in the southwest of the People's Republic of China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 48.3 million (as of 2018). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the C ...

.Whitelock, Loran M. 2002. ''The Cycads''. Portland: Timber Press.

References

multipinnata {{cycad-stub