A 2011 fossil-calibrated model placed most sampled living cycad species within the last roughly 12 million years; later fossil-integrated studies require a less synchronous and more deeply rooted interpretation.
Represented range12–0 Ma
RegionsGlobal living-cycad sample
CladesLiving Cycadales
Claim ledger
divergence-time · medium
A 2011 fossil-calibrated molecular analysis inferred that most sampled living cycad species originated within roughly the preceding 12 million years, but later fossil-integrated work weakens a simple globally synchronous-radiation narrative; none of these models dates the origin or fossil first appearance of Cycadales.