Difference Between Cycas and Pinus

The key difference between cycas and pinus is that the Cycas is a genus that belongs to the gymnosperm group cycads while Pinus is a genus that belongs to the gymnosperm group conifers.

Plants are multicellular, photosynthetic eukaryotes. Kingdom Plantae has two major higher plant groups called Gymnosperms and Angiosperms. Angiosperms are flowering plants, which bear a characteristic fruit with seeds. On the other hand, gymnosperms are non-flowering plants which have naked seeds without enclosed in a fruit. They are woody vascular plants consist of four groups namely gingko, Gnetophyta, cycads and conifers. Here, the Cycas belongs to the group of cycads whereas, the Pinus belongs to the conifer group. Thus, the key difference between cycas and pinus is the group they belong to.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Cycas
3. What is Pinus
4. Similarities Between Cycas and Pinus
5. Side by Side Comparison – Cycas vs Pinus in Tabular Form
6. Summary

What is Cycas?

Cycas is a genus of family Cycadaceae. It is the one and only genus in that family. This genus includes more than 100 species. Among them, Cycas revoluta is one of the best-known species that has a ceremonial use. Cycas plants are non-flowering plants, and they produce naked seeds.

Furthermore, Cycas plants are concentrated in the equatorial regions of the world, and they are dioecious. Thus, the cycas plant has megasporophylls on female plants and pollen cones in male individuals. Moreover, these plants have two types of leaves namely foliage leaves and scaly leaves. Foliage leaves are pinnately compound, and they arranged spirally around the un-branched trunk. Leaves of the Cycas plants have a midrib without lateral veins. They are not tall plants. Though Cycas appear as palm-like trees, they are pseudo-palms. These plants grow slowly, and they need little fertilizer since they have nitrogen-fixing algae living with their coralloid roots.

What is Pinus?

Pinus is a plant genus of the gymnosperm group conifers. It is the biggest genus of the conifer family. There are approximately 121 species in this genus. Many of the Pinus species are ornamental plants used in parks and big gardens. Pine trees are popular as Christmas trees. Hence, they are commercially grown. These plants are native to the northern hemisphere, and they dominate in the cold and dry environments such as poles and higher elevations.

Also, they have a waxy cuticle on their leaves. Furthermore, their leaves are needed like. Hence, they can withstand the harsh weather conditions such as snowing, etc. Moreover, pines are tall trees. They can grow up to 80 m. But the majority are 15 m to 45 m tall. They have branched trees, and their branches make pseudo whorls. Besides, pines are monoecious plants. The male and female cones are present on the same plants. These cones are famous as craft favourites.

What are the Similarities Between Cycas and Pinus?

• Cycas and Pinus are gymnosperms.
• Thus, they do not have flowers and fruits.
• But, Cycas and Pinus produce naked seeds.
• Also, both are ornamental plants.

What is the Difference Between Cycas and Pinus?

The main difference between Cycas and Pinus is that Cycas belongs to the gymnosperm group cycads while Pinus belongs to the gymnosperm group conifers. Also, Cycas plants are dioecious while Pinus plants are monoecious. Hence, this is also a significant difference between Cycas and Pinus. Furthermore, Cycas plants grow well in the equatorial plane of the world while Pinus plants prefer cold and dry environments.

The below infographic presents the difference between Cycas and Pinus in tabular form.

Summary – Cycas vs Pinus

Cycas and Pinus are two genera of group cycads and group conifers of gymnosperms. Cycas plants are not tall as pine trees. Another difference between cycas and pinus is that cycas plants are dioecious while pinus plants are monoecious. However, both are ornamental plants, which can be seen in home gardens, parks, grounds, etc. Pinus plants are famous as Christmas trees as well. This is the difference between cycas and pinus.

Reference:

1.“Cycas: Distribution, Morphology and Reproduction| Cycadales.” Biology Discussion, 24 Feb. 2016. Available here 
2.“Conifer Genus: Pinus.” American Conifer Society. Available here  

Image Courtesy:

1.”Big Cycas”By SKsiddhartthan – Own work, (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia  
2.”Pinus densiflora Kumgangsan”By yeowatzup at Flickr – Flickr, (CC BY 2.0) via Commons Wikimedia