Photo Roy Halling

The Cycad Pages Lepidozamia hopei

Lepidozamia hopei Regel, Gartenflora 25: 6 (1876). ?

TYPE: Based on a living plant grown by Haage and Schmidt (?).

Catakidozamia hopei W. Hill, in Hook., Gard. Chron., 1107 (1865). ?H-BRI

Macrozamia denisonii var. hopei (W. Hill) J. Schust., Pflanzenr. 4(1): 101 (1932).

TYPE: Australia, Queensland, Daintree and Johnstone Rivers (?holo BRI).

Macrozamia hopei C. Moore, J. & Proc. Roy. Soc. New South Wales 17: 116 (1883).

TYPE: Australia, Queensland, W. Hill (?).

Macrozamia hopei W. Hill ex F.M. Bailey, Syn. Queensland Fl., suppl. 1: 52 (1886).

TYPE: Australia, Queensland, Daintree and Johnstone Rivers (?holo BRI).

Historical notes:

Distinguishing features: Readily distinguished from the other species in the genus by the broader leaflets with more numerous veins.

Distribution and habitat: North-eastern Queensland, from Rockingham Bay to the Bloomfield River, scattered in rugged country, often in or near rainforest.

Conservation status: Not considered to be at risk (IUCN Red List category LR,lc).

Photo Roy Halling

Description:

Stem erect, to 17 m tall, to 50 cm in diameter, smooth (not clad with persistent leaf bases) and pale yellow brown.

Cataphylls soft, grey-white.

Leaves numerous, to 100 in the crown, 200-300 cm long; petiole 30-60 cm long, smooth.

Leaflets 160-200, spreading and somewhat lax, softly coriaceous, dark green and highly glossy, 20-40 cm long, 15-30 mm wide, with 15-30 parallel veins; stomata on the undersurface only.

Pollen cones cylindrical, 25-40 cm long, 8-14 cm in diameter, the sporophylls cuneate, to 30 mm long, 25 mm wide.

Seed cones ovoid, 40-60 cm long, 20-30 cm in diameter, sporophylls 5-8 cm long, apically 3.5-6.5 cm wide and 1.5-4 cm high.

Seeds 4-7 cm long, 30-45 mm diam.; sarcotesta red.

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