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Cycads
Zamia lacandona |
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Common Names: None
Habitat:
Description:
< from Bob & Marita Bobick > This plant, while very similar to Z. splendens can be distinguished from it because Z. splendens has much broader leaflets, rounded at the edges, fewer in number, and is found West of Tuxtla Gutierrez halfway up the mountains in the area around San Fernando.
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Figure 1. |
General:
This species is named after the Lacondona Forest or
Lacondona Indian Tribe which resides in this forest
Southeast of Palenque near Bonampak.
Culture:
< from Bob & Marita Bobick >
Both these species, Z. lacondona and Z. splendens , grow in extremely heavy shade. Flash photography is necessary to photo them. Both species grow in basically limestone rock, covered only by a few inches of clay formed by years of forest litter. The dense canopy, which both plants grow in keep the plants moist but not wet.At the University in Tuxtla Gutierrez we visited their collection of cycads which contains both of these species. We found them to be grown in pea-size pieces of limestone and sandstone rock. No organic matter was evident. These were growing in greenhouse conditions, they were hand-watered, and they looked great. When we inquired about their growing media, they responded with... "That is the way they grow in Nature."
For those of use who aren't able (or prepared) to go that far, a standard, moist, well drained mix in a shady, humid spot will suffice. Given their predeliction for limestone, however, they might like the mix to be on the alkaline side.
Figure 2. A new leaf of Z. lacandona , in habitat in Chiapas,
near Palenque, Mexico. (Click image for larger, in-habitat version)
Figure 3. Z. lacandona
, in habitat in Chiapas.
Figure 4. Male cones
| Contributed by: | Paul Craft (Figures 1,3&4) |
| Jan Andersson (Figure 2). | |
| Bob & Marita Bobick (Text) |
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