Etymology:
Honouring grazier Geoff Fearnside, of "Wallaroo" station, where the type was collected.
Historical notes: Distinguishing features: Nearest to M. crassifolia, differing in the broader, longer leaflets. Distribution and habitat: A widely scattered species, on sandy soil over sandstone in the ranges north and east on Injune. Conservation status: Locally extremely abundant, not considered to be at risk (IUCN Red List category LR,lc). Gazetted as a Rare or Threatened Plant under Queensland Nature Conservation legislation. 1997 IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants category V.
Description:
Plants acaulescent, stem 15-35 cm diam. Leaves 2-12 in crown, bright green to deep green, highly glossy to semiglossy, 70-140 cm long, moderately keeled, with 55-120 leaflets; rachis strongly spirally twisted, straight, stiff; petiole 15-40 cm long, straight to recurved, unarmed, 8-10 mm wide at lowest leaflets; basal leaflets not reducing to spines. Leaflets simple, strongly discolorous; margins incurved; apex entire, not spinescent; median leaflets 200-600 mm long, 6-11 mm wide. Pollen cones fusiform, 15-27 cm long, 4.5-6.5 cm diam.; microsporophyll lamina 16-22 mm long, 15-20 mm wide; apical spine 0-13 mm long. Seed cones ovoid, 12-18 cm long, 8-10 cm diam.; megasporophyll lamina 10-15 mm long, megasporophyll with an expanded peltate apex 17-27 mm wide, 10-15 mm high; apical spine 0-20 mm long. Seeds ovoid, 23-27 mm long, 19-23 mm wide; sarcotesta red.
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