The sago palm may look like a tiny palm tree with its glossy, stiff fronds, but it is not a palm tree at all. Sago palms are cycads, some of the most ancient plants, dating back to prehistoric times.

The lush, long-living Cycas revoluta plant isn't actually a palm at all, though its foliage looks like palm fronds. Sagos are part of the cycad family and are native to southern Japan. Cycads go back ...