Etymology:
Honoring Baron __ von Kuester, patron _?
Historical notes: Described in 1857 by German-born Russian botanist and cycad specialist Eduard von Regel, from plants in his collection in the botanic garden in St Petersbourg. This species subsequently disappeared from cultivated, reappearing in the 1970's under the name C. angustifolia. This was recognised as C. kuesteriana when the wild occurrences were rediscovered in 1982. Distinguishing features: The narrow leaflets and smooth petioles separate this species from similar species in the genus. Distribution and habitat: A narrow endemic in southern Tamaulipas state, Mexico, in pine-oak dominated cloud forests between 1000 and 1800 meters altitude in the Sierra Madre Oriental. Conservation status: endangered. 1997 IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants category V.
Description:
Plants acaulescent; stem 10-20 cm long, stem 9-13 cm diam; persistent leaf bases dark, spreading. Leaves 6-20 in crown. New growth emerging bronze, red or chocolate brown. Leaves dark green, semiglossy, 80-150 cm long, flat (not keeled) in section, with 60-100 leaflets; vernation straight; rachis not or slightly spirally twisted; petiole 20-30 cm long, unarmed. Leaflets not clustered, linear, symmetric, broadest below middle, falcate, weakly discolorous, thick or leathery; margins flat; median leaflets 10-30 cm long, 6-15 mm wide. Pollen cones brown, narrowly ovoid-cylindrical to fusiform-cylindrical, 9-15 cm long, 2.5-3 cm diam.; peduncle 9-13 cm long; microsporophyll lamina 9-11 mm long, 6-9 mm wide. Seed cones green, ovoid-cylindrical, 13.5-19.5 cm long, 6.5-8 cm diam.; peduncle 12.5-15 cm long; megasporophyll 28-32 mm long, with an expanded peltate apex 25-32 mm wide. Seeds ovoid, 16-21 mm long, 12-16 mm wide; sarcotesta white, aging to
brown.
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