Cultivation Details
Bowenia spectabilis is native to the tropical zone of Queensland, favouring a wet/dry seasonal climate and growing in a region where the mean annual rainfall is in the range 1,500 - 2,500mm, falling mainly in the summer. Summer high temperatures can reach 30°c, and winter lows average 17°c with the lowest recorded temperature slightly below 0°c[3, 4]. Requires a position in some shade, preferably dappled[1]. Requires a moist but well-drained soil[1]. Cycads will generally not grow well in clay soils unless those soils are heavily amended with sand and organic matter[4]. A neutral soil (pH 7), is generally best for most species of cycads and allows the proper absorption of nutrients. A slightly acid soil is better for most cycads than a basic one[4]. A slow-growing plant[1]. Bowenias may go into a dormant state for long periods of time, sometimes for a number of years. This is usually brought about by some negative factor such as drought or heat[4]. Species in this genus can usually be transplanted easily even when quite large. The best time for moving them is just before the beginning of a new growing season, the roots being trimmed if they are damaged and perhaps some leaves being removed. New roots should develop quickly as the season progresses[4]. Species in this genus often form structures known as coralloid roots. These roots branch off from the taproot or secondary roots and are distinctive in that they grow laterally or upward, forming a nodular mass at the apex. These coralloid roots occur slightly below or slightly above the soil surface and generally contain cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae. These are able to fix atmospheric nitrogen and make it available as a nutrient to the plant. The ability to extract this important nutrient from the air explains how many cycad species are able to survive on almost sterile soils[4]. A dioecious species, with individual plants producing either all male or all female cones. Therefore both male and female forms of the plant need to be grown if seed is required[4]. On very rare occasions, usually when a plant has been under severe stress, it can change sex and produce either all female or all male cones[4]. Pollination must be by insects as both female and male cones are generally produced under leaf litter, making wind pollination nearly impossible[4].
Propagation
Seeds - best sown as soon as they are ripe, though the seeds of many species can take 12 months or more to finish maturing the embryo before they are ready to germinate. Sow the seeds in a tray in a freely-draining medium and place in moderate shade. Bottom heat at about 27°c will hasten seed germination dramatically. Young roots are quite brittle and once germination takes place, the root grows rapidly. It is important to pot up the seedlings at this time in order to give them enough root-space. Grow on the plants in pots until large enough to plant out[1, 4]. Division of off-sets or suckers is best carried out just before the plant comes in to new growth at the start of the growing season[4]. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-19. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Bowenia+spectabilis>
Pollinators
Insects
References
- [1]Australian Rainforest Plants Volumes 1 - 6 — Nicholson N. & H. · Terania Rainforest Publishing; New South Wales. · 2007 · ISBN 9-78095894-3628 ↩︎Beautiful set of booklets with a terse description of over 600 species and their habitat, often including some of their uses and notes on their cultivation, plus at least one, excellent photograph.
- [2]Economic Botany of the Cycads — Thieret J.W. · 1958 · https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02863122 ↩︎
- [3]IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — http://www.iucnredlist.org/ ↩︎A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
- [4]The Cycads — Whitelock L.M. · Timber Press; Portland, Oregon · 2002 · ISBN 0-88192-522-5 ↩︎An excellent book dealing with the eleven different genera and almost 300 species of plants we know as Cycads. There are detailed descriptions and a host of other information for each species.
- [5]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
- [6]The Cycad Pages — Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney. · 2012 · http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/PlantNet/cycad/wlist.html ↩︎A website dedicated to the various species of Cycad, with a comprehensive description of all the known species (as of 2012). At present (2015), the site is still running but is no longer being updated
- [7]Flora of Australia — http://www.anbg.gov.au/abrs/abif/flora/ ↩︎The full information from the Flora of Australia - on-line. An excellent resource.
- [8]Dictionary of Economic Plants. — Uphof. J. C. Th. · Weinheim · 1959 · ISBN - ↩︎An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.