To provide a comprehensive and reliable taxonomic reference for cycad names.
With a fossil record dating back over 300 million years, modern cycads (Order Cycadales) are survivors of an ancient plant lineage which was widespread and diverse during the age of dinosaurs. Cycads are the most imperiled plant group on earth, the majority of species are listed on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
A reliable taxonomic system is the foundation for research and conservation efforts with these important plants. The World List of Cycads provides this foundation in the form of a working list of cycad names along with associated information such as details about publication, nomenclatural types, geographic distribution, and conservation status.
The World List of Cycads is a working list of known cycad species names with the primary goal of providing reliable information on the taxonomy of cycads for use by researchers, conservation planners, and others. It is developed in close collaboration with world's foremost cycad experts and published under the auspices of the IUCN's Cycad Specialist Group. The printed edition is published in the proceedings of the International Conference of Cycad Biology, which is held every three years. The most recent printed version was published in 2012 in the Proceedings of the 8th International Conference of Cycad Biology and is available here.
The first World List of Cycads was published in Encephalartos (Journal of the Cycad Society of South Africa) (Osborne & Hendricks, 1985) with minor amendments in a supplementary list in a subsequent issue of the same journal (Osborne & Hendricks, 1986). A number of successive updates followed as changes in taxonomy and outlook made the previous lists obsolete. These have been presented at the various International Conferences on Cycad Biology (Stevenson et al., 1990, 1995; Stevenson & Osborne, 1993a; Osborne et al., 1999; Hill et al., 2004a, 2004c, 2007) and elsewhere (Stevenson & Osborne, 1993b; Hill et al., 2004b). The current World List is produced under the auspices of the IUCN Cycad Specialist Group, and the most recent printed version, published in 2012 in the Proceedings of the 8th International Conference of Cycad Biology, is available here. More information on the World List of Cycads can be found here.
This site hosts the official online edition of The World List of Cycads, a searchable database of cycad names and associated information. The database can be searched and sorted by multiple fields, and species entries provide additional information on species not found in the print version. The online version of the World List of Cycads is periodically updated to reflect changes in cycad nomenclature and taxonomy. Cycad Database developed using BRAHMS Botanical Research and Herbarium Management System. Website designed by Michael Calonje, hosted by Montgomery Botanical Center
Authors' names are abbreviated in accordance with Brummitt & Powell (1992) and the International Plant Names Index. The type Publication titles are abbreviated in accordance with BPH-2: Periodicals with Botanical Content (Bridson et al., 2004) and Taxonomic Literature, ed. 2 (TL2) (Stafleu & Cowan, 1976-1988; with supplements 1-6 by Stafl eu & Mennega, 1992-2000) except in cases where TL2 provides the same abbreviations for different works. In such cases, publications are abbreviated as listed in the International Plant Names Index. Abbreviations for herbaria follow those of Index Herbariorum (Holmgren et al., 1990; Theirs, 2009), and the following abbreviations are used for nomenclatural types: H = holotype, I = isotype, L = lectotype, N = neotype, SYN = syntype, and BAS = under basionym. The conservation status listed follows and links to the current IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (2011). Where the taxon is not present in that list, the proposed status given by the species authors or other authoritative sources is indicated in square brackets.