Hello Gardeners, I’m Amanda McNulty with Clemson Extension and Making It Grow . Sago palms are actually cycads, which are grouped with gymnosperms like pine trees. They are among the oldest seed plants to evolve on our planet. Cycad fossils date back to almost 300 million years ago and once flourished worldwide. They were the dominant plant group during the Mesozoic; the period sometimes called both the age of the dinosaur and the age of the cycads. This early success was due partially to their