Etymology:
Latin, elegans, elegant, referring to the neat and pleasing habit of the plant.
Historical notes: Distinguishing features: Distinguished by the bluish-grey leaves with a slight or no spiral twist, long petioles and pungent leaflets with orange or red callous bases. Leaves, leaflets, cones and seeds are larger than those of M. spiralis. Distribution and habitat: Restricted to a limited area around Mountain Lagoon in the Blue Mountains, New South Wales. Locally common on undulating country on sandstone. Conservation status: M. elegans is an uncommon species, potentially under threat from habitat destruction and from poaching. It is however, well conserved in the Blue Mountains national Park (IUCN 1997 Red List category VU; ROTAP category 2VC-).
Description:
Plants acaulescent, stem 15-30 cm diam. Leaves 3-10 in crown, grey-green, semiglossy, 110-150 cm long, moderately keeled (opposing leaflets inserted at 150° on rachis), with 90-140 leaflets; rachis not spirally twisted to moderately spirally twisted, straight, stiff or recurved, arching stiffly downwards; petiole 20-35 cm long, straight, unarmed; basal leaflets not reducing to spines. Leaflets simple, strongly discolorous; margins flat to recurved (slightly); apex entire, spinescent; median leaflets 220-310 mm long, 9-14 mm wide. Pollen cones narrowly ovoid to fusiform, 16-32 cm long, 6-6.5 cm diam.; microsporophyll lamina 25 mm long, 23 mm wide; apical spine 0-10 mm long. Seed cones ovoid, 24 cm long, 11.5 cm diam.; megasporophyll with an expanded peltate apex 45-70 mm wide, 25-40 mm high; apical spine 20-55 mm long. Seeds ovoid, 30-32 mm long, 24-26 mm wide; sarcotesta red.
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