Fairchild Botanic Garden

Family: Cycadaceae (Cycad)

Distribution: Debao County in western Guangxi

Description: Stems acaulescent, 15-20 cm diam. at narrowest point; 4-10 leaves in crown. Leaves deep green, semiglossy, 250-300 cm long, moderately keeled (opposing leaflets inserted at 80° on rachis), with 30-50 leaflets, with white tomentum shedding as leaf expands; rachis consistently terminated by paired leaflets. Petiole 80-150 cm long (30-50% of total leaf), petiole glabrous, spinescent for 100% of length. Basal leaflets not gradually reducing to spines, 130-170 mm long. Median leaflets dichotomously branched, strongly discolorous, 500-560 mm long, 7-11 mm wide, inserted at 75-80° to rachis, narrowed to 2-3 mm at base, 40 mm apart on rachis; median leaflets section flat; margins flat; apex acute, not spinescent; midrib raised above, flat below. Cataphylls narrowly triangular, soft, pilose, 70-90 mm long, articulated. Megasporophylls 12-14 cm long, brown-tomentose; ovules 2-6, glabrous; lamina orbicular or ovate, 80-90 mm long, 80-90 mm wide, deeply pectinate, with 26-28 soft lateral spines 40-50 mm long, 2 mm wide, apical spine distinct or not distinct from lateral spines, 30-40 mm long, 3-4 mm wide at base. Seeds ovoid, 25-27 mm long, 20-22 mm wide; sarcotesta yellow, not pruinose, 2 mm thick; fibrous layer absent; sclerotesta verrucose. Spongy endocarp absent.