King Sago Palms

Warnings

Toxicity -- The seed and plant parts of the king sago palm are extremely toxic and should never be consumed.  Consuming the seeds or plant parts of the king sago palm can be very dangerous or even fatal to pets and young children. 

The leaves of the king sago palm can also cause an allergic reaction in some people.  The reaction is almost always more annoying than serious, but precautions should be taken by people who are allergic to the leaves of the king sago palm

Lethal Cycad Scale -- King Sago Palms (cycas revoluta) being propagated in South Florida have become infested with an armored scale that originated in Southeast Asia.  Normal methods of insect control, such as systemic insecticides, contact insecticides against crawlers, and oils, have been ineffective against the armored scale.

King sago palms that are affected by the scale are coated with a white crust that looks like a covering of very fine snow.  The scale affects the plant by sucking all of the juices out of the leaves resulting in the death of the plant in just a few weeks.

The scale multiplies at a fast pace and can spread to other king sago palms (as well as other cycads).  At the moment, there is no cure for the scale and plants affected by the scale should be destroyed to prevent spread of the scale to other plants.