Cycads are considered endangered species and their trade is severely restricted. Customs officials stop suspected smugglers, who claim that the plants in their possession are palm trees and not cycads. How would a botanist distinguish between the two types of plants

Cycads are basically woody plants which have roots, a stem, leaves and reproductive structures known as cones
The main roots of cycads are thickened and fleshy and as they may have storage capacities they are often termed tuberous
Along with the fleshy stem they may have contractile properties which serve to regulate the level of the stem in the ground
Specialized, upright-growing, branched roots, known as coralloid roots, are also produced by all species of Cycads
The stems of cycads may be completely subterranean or emerge from the ground and be trunk-like
The leaves of most cycads are once-divided (pinnate) and often develop an attractive palm-like crown
Palm trees are a type of evergreen plant belonging to the Arecaceae family of plants
Palm trees have branch-less stems and large evergreen leaves
Generally, leaves of palm trees are either pinnate (feather-like leaves) or palmate (fan-like fronds)
Another way to identify the type of palm tree is by the trunk shape, some of the tallest species of palm trees have long slender single trunks and dwarf varieties have usually short fat palm trunks
Some smaller palm tree species may have clustered trunks with 3 or 4 short trunks growing together
There are also some dwarf palm trees that just have bushy pinnate fronds growing out the ground and don’t have any trunk at all