Macrozamia lucida L.A.S.Johnson

A small cycad. The trunk is underground. The trunk is 40 cm long and 25 cm across. The young leaves are pale and the 5-40 mature leaves form an erect crown. They are 0.6-1.2 m long by 20-40 cm wide. They are dark green and shiny. They gently arch over. They can be twisted near the tip. The leaf stalk is 20-50 cm long and swollen and woolly at the base. There are 50-100 leaflets on each leaf. The average leaflet is 15-35 cm long by 0.7-1 cm wide. The tip is sharp. The cones are different. The male cone is 12-18 cm long by 3.5-5 cm wide. There are 1-8 on each plant and they are green. The female cones are 12-20 cm long by 6-10 cm wide and they are barrel shaped and green. There are 1-2 on each plant. The seeds are 2-2.5 cm long by 1.5-2 cm wide. They are oval and dark orange.

They grow naturally in SE Queensland in Australia. They occur on protected slopes in coastal areas. They grow in a subtropical climate. It suits hardiness zones 9-11. Mt Cootha Botanical Gardens.

Caution: The seeds are poisonous. They need special processing. The seeds have been eaten after long soaking, grinding, and cooking.