 |
Photo Ken Hill
|
 |
The Cycad Pages
| Macrozamia douglasii
| |
- Macrozamia douglasii W. Hill ex F.M. Bailey, "Syn. Queensland Fl., 500" (1883).
- "TYPE: Australia, Queensland, Fraser Island, Sheridan s.n. (lecto K, fide Jones et al. 2001)."
Etymology:
Honouring pastoralist and politician John Douglas (1828-1904), Premier of Queensland 1877-1880 and collector of the type.
Historical notes:
Distinguishing features:
M. douglasii is a member of the M. miquelii complex,
recognisable by its large stature, darker green leaves with only the
lowermost 4-8 leaflets reduced to spines, and the very large size of the
male and female cones and the seeds. Leaflets also show distinctive
large white callous bases.
Distribution and habitat:
Queensland, in rainforests or wet sclerophyll forests on deep white
sands of old coastal dune systems on Fraser Island and the Cooloola
sandridges.
Conservation status:
Not considered to be at risk (IUCN Red List category LR,lc).
 |
Photo Ken Hill
|
Description:
Plants arborescent, stem 0-0.6 m tall, 40-70 cm diam.
Leaves 30-100 in crown, deep green, highly glossy, 160-340 cm long,
flat (not keeled) in section, with 120-200 leaflets; rachis not spirally
twisted, straight, lax and pendulous; petiole 45-65 cm long, straight,
spinescent, 12-18 mm wide at lowest leaflets; basal leaflets reducing to spines.
Leaflets simple, strongly discolorous; margins flat; apex entire,
spinescent; median leaflets 270-380 mm long, 7-12 mm wide.
Pollen cones not seen.
Seed cones narrowly ovoid, 40-50 cm long, 15-18 cm diam.;
megasporophyll lamina 55-60 mm long, stipe 35 mm long, megasporophyll with an
expanded peltate apex 55-60 mm wide, 25-30 mm high; apical spine 5-28 mm long.
Seeds oblong, 36-40 mm long, 24-27 mm wide; sarcotesta orange, or
red.
The Cycad Pages
|
|
© 1998-2012 Royal Botanic Gardens Sy
dney
Written and maintained by Ken Hill 1998-2010
Maintained by Leonie Stanberg and Dennis Stevenson 2010-2012
This site is currently not being maintained
|