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Zamia furfuracea (Sago Cycas, Cardboard Palm) - A slow-growing cycad which is often has a trunk mostly or completely underground but can grow to 3 to 4 feet tall with a 2 to 4 foot wide crown. The bipinnate leaves are on long petioles which radiate from the center of the trunk. Each leaf has 13 pairs of oval and leathery olive green leaflets with a fuzzy texture and rolled-under edges. Female plants produce egg-shaped cones while males have clusters of smaller cones.
Plant in full sun or light shade in a well-draining soil and water regularly spring through fall. It is cold-hardy to short duration temperature down to around 25°F. An attractive landscape plant that can also be used as a house plant in bright light.
Zamia furfuracea is endemic to the coastal mountains and sandy, limestone sea cliffs of Veracruz, Mexico. The name for the genus is derived from the word 'zamiae' which is considered to be false rendering in some texts of Pliny for 'azaniae' a referring to a pine-cone. The specific epithet means "scruffy" or "mealy" in reference to the leaflet texture. It is commonly called Cardboard Palm or Cardboard Plant in reference to the cardboard like texture of the leaves, or Jamaican Sago
We grew this plant from 1990 until 2007 and have nice representatives of this plant in our garden.
This information about Zamia furfuracea displayed is based on research conducted in our horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also will relate observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments that we receive from others and we welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share any cultural information that would aid others in growing it.
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