Checked one of my 'Wilailak' & found something

[Kansas]

It is weird how these things happen. I have two of these Cycads I got from Mr. Robert Chumley. Since they are my favorite cycad, I was doing a bit more research today and found one site that had a report of the Caudex splitting from below the dirt level up to the apex and going deep into the center.
I went out to move some of my cycads in the house from the garage and low and behold, one of mine has this. It sounds like it is normal, but it looks HORRIBLE. I hope it recovers!!!

Mine





Here is the article I seen on it. Sounds like it is just the way that cycad grows it's trunk and expands.
http://www.pacsoa.org.au/cycads/Cycas/spWilailakB.html

[chumleycycads.com]

Wes, from what I see, there is no cause for alarm. The splitting seems to be mostly sub-terrestially and will actully be advantageous
for the plant, because it will give it twice the ability for future growth., My experience with Cycads from Thailand is that they will get a large fat bulbous
looking caudex, and the trunk will have many characteristic scars that will appear to look like it has splits and crusty ridges(almost a turtle shell appearance).
Cycas Siamensis and Cycas Nongnoochiae is characteristic of this. There are a lot of surprises in Chinese and Asian cycads as they grow older. Robert Chumley

[Kansas]

Yep, thats kinda what the link said too but I actually trust YOUR opinion more. In fact, instead of being scared about it, I am VERY VERY highly optimistic about it for the reason you give. It sounds like this is a normal trait that actually must be done by the tree to allow it to get larger.
I gotta say, of all the cycad/dioon/ecehps/etc. that I have got from you, this species is my favorite. I just LOVE them. FAST FAST growers (put out 3 flushes last year) and pretty hardy too.

[chumleycycads.com]

Well Wes , sinse the Nova Wilailak is your favorite cycad from Thailand thus far, have
you considered others that are similar to that species such as Cycas Siamensis, Cycas Siamensis (Silver Form)?
Also, I think the other cycad that is most like your favorite that grows on the next mountain over is Cycas Petraea.
Both of these cycads grow on the coldest mountains in Thailand close to the border of Laos where it gets well below freezing during the winter
with snow on the ground. Both of these are almost identical in appearance, but the man in Thailand who discovered 'Petraea' told me via e mail,
that there are distinctive differences between the two plants. I now can start to see personally, the subtle differences in the two plants as I grow them.
Another cycad that is correspondingly in this particular group, but is (Chinese) is 'Cycas Sex Siminifera' and is definately one of my favorites. And,
incidentally, Wes, I grow all of the aforementioned cycads, and I believe I have them in stock here at the Chumley Estate. Robert Chumley

[chumleycycads.com]

Well Wes , sinse the Nova Wilailak is your favorite cycad from Thailand thus far, have
you considered others that are similar to that species such as Cycas Siamensis, Cycas Siamensis (Silver Form)?
Also, I think the other cycad that is most like your favorite that grows on the next mountain over is Cycas Petraea.
Both of these cycads grow on the coldest mountains in Thailand close to the border of Laos where it gets well below freezing during the winter
with snow on the ground. Both of these are almost identical in appearance, but the man in Thailand who discovered 'Petraea' told me via e mail,
that there are distinctive differences between the two plants. I now can start to see personally, the subtle differences in the two plants as I grow them.
Another cycad that is correspondingly in this particular group, but is (Chinese) is 'Cycas Sex Siminifera' and is definately one of my favorites. And,
incidentally, Wes, I grow all of the aforementioned cycads, and I believe I have them in stock here at the Chumley Estate. Robert Chumley

[Kansas]

Check your PM, I am VERY interested in these!!!!

[Kansas]

Great news on this particular Willy.
I checked up on it repeatedly after the split caudex, and noticed the the leaves were slowley drying up. I went ahead and cut the leafs off. THat was about a week ago. I checked today and I have at least a two leaf flush beginning. I also noticed that the caudex has gotten noticably fatter.
In a couple days, when the flush gets bigger, I'll snap a pic and post it.

[Kansas]

Here is a pic