Zamia decumbens | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Gymnospermae |
Division: | Cycadophyta |
Class: | Cycadopsida |
Order: | Cycadales |
Family: | Zamiaceae |
Genus: | Zamia |
Species: | Z. decumbens |
Binomial name | |
Zamia decumbens Calonje, Meerman, M.P. Griff. & Hoese | |
Synonyms [2] | |
Zamia prasinaauct. non Bull |
Zamia decumbens, common name sinkhole cycad, is a species of cycad known only from Belize. The species was erroneously referred to in print several times as Z. prasina before its recognition as a distinct species. [2] [3] [4] [5] The species was (under the name Z. prasina) proposed for protection as a critically endangered species. [6]
As of 2009, 7 populations were known in the Maya Mountains, [2] a few on ridges and mountaintops but the largest populations at the bottom of sinkholes. Sinkholes are depressions in the earth caused by collapse of the roof of a cave. They very frequently are home to unusual plants and animals because they usually have water at the bottom, and because the steep walls protect the sinkholes from herbivores.
Zamia decumbens is unusual in the genus in having decumbent stems, i.e. trunks that run horizontally along the ground rather than growing straight up. The plant occasionally dies at the base while forming new roots farther up the stem. There are also a few differences in leaf shape and cone characters that distinguish it from other species in Belize. [2]
Zamia decumbens has sparingly branched cylindrical stems up to 80 cm long and up to 11 cm in diameter. Leaves number 5-17 per plant, each one up to 175 cm long, pinnately compound with up to 28 pairs of leaflets. Leaflets are up to 30 cm long and 5 cm across, lanceolate and gradually tapering toward tip. Microsporangiate strobili (male cones) are conical to cylindrical, up to 16.5 cm long and 2.5 cm in diameter. Megasporangiate strobili (female cones) are cylindrical, up to 20 cm long and 6.5 cm in diameter. Seeds are red, egg-shaped, up to 2 cm long. [2] [7] [8]
Zamia pumila, commonly known as guáyiga or guáyara in Spanish, is a small, tough, woody cycad native to the Greater Antilles. Z. pumila was the first species described for the genus and, therefore, is the type species for the genus Zamia, the Zamia pumila species complex, and the family Zamiaceae.
Zamia is a genus of cycad of the family Zamiaceae, native to North America from the United States throughout the West Indies, Central America, and South America as far south as Bolivia. The genus is considered to be the most ecologically and morphologically diverse of the cycads, and is estimated to have originated about 68.3 million years ago.
Zamia acuminata is a species of plant in the family Zamiaceae which is threatened by habitat loss. It is found in Costa Rica and Panama.
Zamia amazonum is a species of plant in the family Zamiaceae. It is found in Brazil, Colombia, Peru, and Venezuela.
Zamia amplifolia is a species of plant in the family Zamiaceae. It is endemic to the Calima River watershed of Valle del Cauca Department, Colombia.
Zamia chigua is a species of plant in the family Zamiaceae. It is found in Choco Department of Colombia and of Panama. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.
Zamia disodon is a species of plant in the family Zamiaceae. It is found in Colombia and Peru.
Zamia fischeri is a species of cycad in the family Zamiaceae. It is endemic to Mexico. It is often confused with Zamia vazquezii. Zamia fischeri is named after Gustav Fischer, a cycad enthusiast of the nineteenth century.
Zamia inermis is a species of plant in the family Zamiaceae. It is endemic to Actopan, Veracruz state, in eastern Mexico. It is a Critically endangered species, threatened by habitat loss to make way for farming, as well as other factors such as frequent wildfires, the possible disappearance of its pollinators, exposure to pesticides from crops, soil erosion, and being over-harvested for decorative purposes.
Zamia manicata is a species of plant in the family Zamiaceae. It is found in Colombia and Panama. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.
Zamia melanorrhachis is a species of plant in the family Zamiaceae. It has been found in Amazonas, Córdoba, Meta, and Santander departments in Colombia. It grows in forests between sea level and 300 metres (980 ft) altitude. It is commonly known as corocito.
Zamia pygmaea is a species of plant in the family Zamiaceae found only in Cuba. It is the smallest living cycad. It is listed as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List based on its limited distribution, severely fragmented habitat, and population of less than 250 mature individuals.
Zamia vazquezii is a species of plant in the family Zamiaceae. It is endemic to northern Veracruz state, in eastern Mexico. It is a Critically endangered species, threatened by habitat loss. There are only two wild populations with no more than a combined total of 50 individuals.
Encephalartos hildebrandtii is a species of cycad in the Zamiaceae family. It is native to Kenya and Tanzania at elevations from sea level to 600 metres (2,000 ft). The species is named for the German explorer Johann Maria Hildebrandt.
Zamia hamannii is a species of cycad in the family Zamiaceae. The only known population grows in a small area on an island on the northwestern Caribbean coast of Panama. Most plants of the species grow in forest, but some live on sandy beaches. It was named and described in 2008.
Zamia imperialis is a species of plant in the family Zamiaceae. The description is based on specimens found in Coclé Province, Panama. It is part of the Zamia skinneri species complex.
Zamia stevensonii (blanco) is a species of cycad in the family Zamiaceae. It is found in the vicinity of the Panama Canal and the Chagres River in central Panama.
Zamia integrifolia, also known as coontie, is a small, tough, woody cycad native to the southeastern United States, the Bahamas, Cuba, the Cayman Islands, and Puerto Rico.
Zamia imbricata is a species of plant in the family Zamiaceae described in 2021. The stem is subterranean, the leaves have overlapping leaflets, and the reproductive cones are held on very long stalks. Its natural habitat is tropical rainforest in Colombia. It is very rare, and the known population does not appear to be successfully reproducing.
Zamia sinuensis is a species of plant in the family Zamiaceae described in 2021. The stem is subterranean or partly suterranean, with dark green compound leaves up to 3 metres (9.8 ft) long. and reproductive cones on long stalks. Its natural habitat is tropical monsoon forest in Colombia. Only five plants have been observed.
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