WorldFloraDB - Macrozamia riedlei

Characteristics

A medium sized cycad. It is a palm like shrub. It has a short trunk covered with leaf bases. The trunk is barrel shaped and can be underground of emerge. It is 0.5 m long by 60 cm wide. The young leaves are bright green. The mature leaves can vary in number. There are usually less than 25. The fronds are between 1-1.5 m long by 20-30 cm wide. There are 100-120 leaflets per leaf. They are dull green above and paler underneath. Plants are separately male and female. Male cones are 20-35 cm long by 8-10 cm wide. They are curved and there are 1-3 per plant. Female plants usually produce one or two cones. These can be 15-30 cm long by 15-20 cm wide. When ripe they are red and fleshy. The seeds are 2.5 cm long by 2-2.5 cm wide. They are oblong and red.

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Plants acaulescent, rarely caulescent; stem 0-0.3 m tall, 25-40 cm diam.; 12-30 leaves in crown. Leaves 121-220 cm long, slightly keeled to flat in section, with 92-150 pinnae, mid-to dark green, semi-glossy to highly glossy; petiole 18-50 cm long. Basal pinnae reducing to spines. Median pinnae simple, 23-48 cm long, 7.5-11 mm wide, weakly discolorous; margins flat; apex entire, spinescent. Pollen cones fusiform, 29-41 cm long, 11-15 cm diam.; microsporophyll lamina 32-50 mm long, 25-33 mm wide; apical spine 8-75 mm long. Seed cones ovoid, 25-35 cm long, 14-18 cm diam.; megasporophyll with an expanded, peltate apex 70 mm wide and 23 mm long. Seeds ovoid, 35-45 mm long, 25-35 mm wide; sarcotesta red.

Life form	perennial
Growth form	shrub
Growth support	-
Foliage retention	evergreen
Sexuality	dioecy
Pollination	entomogamy
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Mature height (meter)	1.5 - 0.9
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Nitrogen fixer	nostocaceae
Photosynthetic pathway	c3

Environment

It grows in all types of soils. It grows naturally in Western Australia. They are in temperate climates with hot dry summers and cool to cold winters. It can grow in full sun or light shade. It requires good drainage. It tolerates moderate frosts. It suits hardiness zones 9-11.

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An understorey plant in jarrah forests and woodlands and also occurs in low heathy scrub.

Widespread and abundant as an understorey plant in jarrah forest.

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Hardiness (USDA)

Usage

CAUTION: The fruit are toxic and cause cancer unless well processed. Fruit are buried for some time, then soaked in water. The case around the nut was then roasted before being eaten. The seeds are very starchy and can be crushed and steeped in water and the starch collected. It was then dried.

Uses	environmental use gum medicinal poison tea
Edible	fruits seeds stems
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Cultivation

Plants are grown from seed.

Mode	seedlings
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