Historical notes: Distinguishing features: A member of the M. plurinervia complex, differing in its short to medium leaves with narrow leaflets with distinctly glossy upper surfaces. Distribution and habitat: A rare species, occurring in a few small stands in the Texas district, in dry eucalypt woodlands on skeletal soils on slopes. Conservation status: A rare species known only from a few small stands (IUCN Red List category VU; ROTAP category 2V-). Gazetted as a Rare or Threatened Plant under Queensland Nature Conservation legislation.
Description:
Plants acaulescent, stem 7-12 cm diam. Leaves 1-5 in crown, grey-green, semiglossy, 70-90 cm long, moderately keeled, with 100-150 leaflets; rachis strongly spirally twisted, straight, stiff; petiole 15-30 cm long, straight, unarmed, 7-12 mm wide at lowest leaflets; basal leaflets not reducing to spines. Leaflets simple, strongly discolorous; margins flat, or incurved (slightly); apex entire, not spinescent; median leaflets 70-300 mm long, 2-7 mm wide. Pollen cones fusiform, 8-22 cm long, 2.5-5.5 cm diam.; microsporophyll lamina 15-20 mm long, 13-20 mm wide; apical spine 0-10 mm long. Seed cones ovoid, 8-14 cm long, 4.5-6.5 cm diam.; megasporophyll lamina 17-25 mm long, megasporophyll with an expanded peltate apex 20-40 mm wide, 15-20 mm high; apical spine 0-10 mm long. Seeds ovoid, 20-25 mm long, 18-22 mm wide; sarcotesta red.
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