Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes ProCon History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture Money Videos
Bowenia
Table of Contents
Introduction References & Edit History Related Topics
Images
Bowenia spectabilis
Quizzes
Venus's-flytrap. Venus's-flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) one of the best known of the meat-eating plants. Carnivorous plant, Venus flytrap, Venus fly trap
Plants: From Cute to Carnivorous
Read Next
Plant seedlings emerging from rich fertile soil
Do Plants Feel Pain?
Anemone coronaria, the poppy anemone, Spanish marigold, or windflower, is a species of flowering plant.
What’s the Difference Between Angiosperms and Gymnosperms?
Sunlight shining on leaves. Photosynthesis
What Does Photosynthesis Produce?
Palm House conservatory of Kew Gardens, London, England. (formal garden, glass house, greenhouse)
How Botanical Gardens Save Plants with Science
Frost. Frost point. Hoarfrost. Winter. Ice. Blackberry plant. Thorn. Hoarfrost on blackberry thorns.
Botanical Barbarity: 9 Plant Defense Mechanisms
Discover
Close up of books. Stack of books, pile of books, literature, reading. Homepage 2010, arts and entertainment, history and society
12 Novels Considered the “Greatest Book Ever Written”
Mayer Amschel Rothschild (1744-1855), founder of the house of Rothschild; lithograph by Friedrich Lieder, c. 1830.
Where Do Anti-Semitic Conspiracy Theories About the Rothschild Family Come From?
Iraqi Army Soldiers from the 9th Mechanized Division learning to operate and maintain M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tanks at Besmaya Combat Training Center, Baghdad, Iraq, 2011. Military training. Iraq war. U.S. Army
8 Deadliest Wars of the 21st Century
Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), Italian Renaissance painter from Florence. Engraving by Cosomo Colombini (d. 1812) after a Leonardo self portrait. Ca. 1500.
10 Famous Artworks by Leonardo da Vinci
Thumbnail for flags that look alike quiz Russia, Slovenia, Iceland, Norway
Flags That Look Alike
Woman tied to a ducking stool, a method of punishment by means of humiliation, beating, or death. (cucking stool)
8 Unusual Punishments Inflicted on Women Throughout History
Diverse elementary school children wearing school uniforms running outside of school. Boys girls
Pro and Con: School Uniforms
Bowenia spectabilis
Bowenia spectabilis

Bowenia

plant genus
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Share
Share to social media
URL
https://www.britannica.com/plant/Bowenia
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites
Written and fact-checked by
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Article History

Bowenia, genus of two species of palmlike cycads in the family Stangeriaceae, endemic to Queensland, Australia. Both the Byfield fern (Bowenia serrulata) and B. spectabilis are sometimes cultivated as ornamentals in greenhouses and outdoors in warmer climates. Two extinct species, B. eocenica and B. papillosa, known from fossilized leaflet fragments from Victoria and New South Wales respectively, date to the Eocene Epoch (56 to 33.9 million years ago).

Bowenia species are tuberous in form and feature a large subterranean stem about 20 to 30 cm (8 to 12 inches) long. The evergreen leaves are bipinnately compound. As gymnosperms, the plants produce their seeds in cones, which are borne basally from the underground stem.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Melissa Petruzzello.