Etymology:
Latin, flexuosus, zigzag or bent alternately in opposite directions,
from the spirally twisted leaves.
Historical notes: Distinguishing features: Characterised by the erect, strongly spirally twisted leaves with long, more or less terete petioles, and lax, light green leaflets with inrolled margins. Distribution and habitat: New South Wales, southern North Coast and extreme northern Central Coast, from Buladelah to Lake Macquarie. Scattered in sclerophyll forests on siliceous soils. Conservation status: not considered to be at risk (IUCN Red List category LR,lc).
Description:
Plants acaulescent, stem 8-20 cm diam. Leaves 1-6 in crown, bright green, highly glossy to semiglossy, 45-100 cm long, moderately keeled, with 80-150 leaflets; rachis strongly spirally twisted, recurved, arching stiffly downwards; petiole 20-35 cm long, straight, unarmed, 4-8 mm wide at lowest leaflets; basal leaflets not reducing to spines. Leaflets simple, strongly discolorous; margins incurved (more or less); apex entire, not spinescent; median leaflets 170-300 mm long, 3-7 mm wide. Pollen cones fusiform, 15 cm long, 4.5 cm diam.; microsporophyll lamina 15 mm long, 14 mm wide; apical spine 2-10 mm long. Seed cones ovoid, 10-16 cm long, 7-11 cm diam.; megasporophyll lamina 40 mm long, megasporophyll with an expanded peltate apex 55 mm wide, 20 mm high; apical spine 5-35 mm long. Seeds ovoid, 24-27 mm long, 19-23 mm wide; sarcotesta red.
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