Zamia pumila L.

A small plant. It grows 1.5 m high and spreads 1.8 m wide. It is tough and woody. It has underground stems. This trunk can be 3-25 cm high. These are short and branched. From these leaves emerge. There are 4-12 dark green leaves. They have smooth leaf stalks. The leaves are 60-120 cm long with 5-30 pairs of leaflets. Each leaflet is 8-25 cm long and 0.5-2 cm wide. The leaves have teeth at the tips. Plants are separately male and female. The fruit are red to brown cones. The male cones are cylinder shaped and 3-15 cm long. The female cones are long and fattened and 6-15 cm long by 4-6 cm wide. They are pointed at the tip. Plants are pollinated by weevils.

Subtropical dry forest in both open and understory situations, the soil generally clay over limestone, occasionally pure sand in beach areas; at elevations from sea level to 460 metres.

The stems are rich in starch which can be extracted as arrowroot. The plants are poisonous but this is removed by careful leaching.

Can be grown by seedlings.