"Actually, I thought it was plastic until I observed it up close and actually touched it! It has very small stems and seems to spread from either runners or seeds---not sure, but it is definitely real."
"Not a pine tree, but related. It's some type of Cycad. Conifers (which a Pine is) belongs in the family of Gymnosperms. So do Cycads, Gingko and other cone bearing plants like Ephedra. Cycads are ancient. Precursors to Conifers.
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