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| Photo Ken Hill
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| The Cycad Pages
| | Macrozamia fraseri
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- Macrozamia fraseri Miq., Monogr. Cycad.: 37 (1842).
- TYPE: Australia, Western Australia, mouth of the Swan River, W.A., C. Fraser s.n. (holo ?U).
Encephalartos douglasii F. Muell., Australas. Chem. Drugg. 4: 80 (1883).
- TYPE: Fraser Island, Qld, McDowell s.n. (lecto MEL, fide Jones et al. 2001, isolecto K).
Encephalartos oldfieldii Miq., Versl. Meded. Afd. Natuurk. Kon. Acad. Wetensch. 15: 370 (1863).
- Macrozamia oldfieldii (Miq.) A. DC., Prodr. 16(2): 535 (1868). H—MEL
- TYPE: Australia, Western Australia, Swan River region, W.A., Oldfield s.n. (holo MEL, iso G, K).
Macrozamia preissii Lehm., Pugill. 8: 31 (1844). ?H—HBG
- Encephalartos preissii (Lehm.) F. Muell., Quart. J. Pharm. Soc. Victoria 2: 90 (1859).
- TYPE: Australia, Western Australia, Swan River region, L. Preiss (?).
Zamia cycadifolia S. Brunn., Flora 8: 733. plate s.n. (1825).
- TYPE: the illustration: plate s.n.
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| Photo Ken Hill
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Etymology:
Honouring Western Australian surveyor and pastoralist Charles Fitzgerald Fraser (1883-1951), collector of the type specimen.
Historical notes:
Treated by Jones (1993) as Macrozamia 'species Enneabba'.
Distribution and habitat:
South-western Australia, from Enneabba south to Perth. Locally abundant
but somewhat sporadic, in shrublands and heath, usually on deep sand.
Distinguishing features:
The Western Australian species of Macrozamia are a closely
related group, characterised by the more or less terete petioles with a
few reduced spinescent leaflets. M. fraseri is separated by the
robust and often arborescent habit, keeled leaves, densely woolly crowns
and large cones.
Conservation status:
Not considered to be at risk (IUCN Red List category LR,lc).
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| Photo Ken Hill
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| Photo Ken Hill
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Description:
Plants arborescent or acaulescent, stem 0-3 m tall, 40-70 cm diam.
Leaves 30-100 in crown, grey-green, semiglossy, 137-270 cm long,
moderately keeled (opposing leaflets inserted at 90-150° on rachis), with
112-174 leaflets; rachis not spirally twisted, recurved, arching stiffly
downwards; petiole 18-55 cm long, straight, spinescent; basal leaflets reducing
to spines.
Leaflets simple, concolorous to weakly discolorous; margins flat;
apex entire, spinescent; median leaflets 185-340 mm long, 7.5-14 mm wide.
Pollen cones fusiform, 30-48 cm long, 10-14 cm diam.; microsporophyll
lamina 25-50 mm long, 17-26 mm wide; apical spine 15-90 mm long.
Seed cones ovoid, 35-45 cm long, 15-17 cm diam.; megasporophyll with
an expanded peltate apex 45-60 mm wide, 25-35 mm high; apical spine 5-60 mm
long.
Seeds ovoid, 40-50 mm long, 25-30 mm wide; sarcotesta red.