Zamia chigua Seem.

A medium sized cycad. The trunk is 2 m long and 15 cm across. It has a wrinkled appearance. The young leaves are pale green. The mature leaves are 0.5-3 m long. About 3-15 leaves form a graceful arching crown. The leaf stalk is 30-100 cm long. It is swollen at the base and covered with prickles. There are 30-140 leaflets on each leaf. These are 10-30 cm long by 1-1.5 cm wide. They are crowded and overlapping. They are thin textured. They taper to the base. The male cone is 10-20 cm long by 2-3 cm wide. They are light yellow with short hairs. The female cones are 20-30 cm long by 8-12 cm wide. They are barrel shaped and light brown. They have short hairs. The seeds are 3-3.5 cm long by 1.5-2 cm wide. They are red.

A tropical plant. In Colombia it grows in lowland rainforest. In Panama it grows between 600-1200 m altitude. It suits tropical and warm subtropical regions. It needs warmth, humidity, shade and free air movement. They are very forst sensitive.

The seeds are boiled and mashed and served with milk and sugar. They are also used to make bread.

Plants are grown from fresh seed.