Etymology:
Greek, glauco-, a bluish waxy bloom, and -phyllon, leaf, in
reference to the bluish glaucous leaves.
Historical notes: Treated by Jones (1993) as Macrozamia 'species northern Pilliga'. Distinguishing features: A member of the M. heteromera complex, separated by the longer and consistently blue or grey leaves. Distribution and habitat: Locally abundant but populations are sporadic, around Gunnedah and south to the northern Pilliga Scrub, in dry sclerophyll woodlands on deep sandy soils. Conservation status: Not considered to be at risk (IUCN Red List category LR,lc).
Description:
Plants acaulescent, stem 20-40 cm diam. Leaves 2-8 in crown, grey-green to blue, dull, 60-120 cm long, strongly to moderately keeled, with 90-120 leaflets; rachis not spirally twisted to moderately spirally twisted, recurved, arching stiffly downwards; petiole 12-25 cm long, straight, unarmed, 9-12 mm wide at lowest leaflets; basal leaflets not reducing to spines. Leaflets simple to dichotomously branched (usually), concolorous to weakly discolorous; margins flat; apex entire, not spinescent; median leaflets 160-250 mm long, 4-7 mm wide (ultimate segments 3-5). Pollen cones fusiform, 25 cm long, 5-6 cm diam.; microsporophyll lamina 20-22 mm long, 19-22 mm wide; apical spine 2-15 mm long. Seed cones ovoid, 18-23 cm long, 9-11 cm diam.; megasporophyll lamina 40 mm long, megasporophyll with an expanded peltate apex 50-60 mm wide, 20-30 mm high; apical spine 2-10 mm long. Seeds ovoid, 30-34 mm long, 24-26 mm wide.
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