Sago palm

The sago palm is not a true palm but a cycad, an ancient seed plant group that predates flowering plants. Native to southern Japan, it forms a stout, scaly trunk topped by a stiff rosette of glossy, deeply divided fronds and is grown worldwide in pots and mild-climate gardens.

• Every part of the plant is toxic, and the seeds are especially dangerous to dogs.
• Cycads like this one make new leaves in sudden flushes, sometimes only once a year.
• Their roots host cyanobacteria in special coral-like clusters that fix nitrogen from the air.

Care
Give it bright sun, water only when the soil has dried out, and avoid disturbing the crown while the soft new leaves are expanding.