Zamia imbricata
Zamia imbricata is a species of plant in the family Zamiaceae described in 2021. The stem is subterranean, the leaves have overlapping leaflets, and the reproductive cones are held on very long stalks. Its natural habitat is tropical rainforest in Colombia. It is very rare, and the known population does not appear to be successfully reproducing.
Classification
Z. imbricata was described and named in 2021 by Michael Calonje and Jonatan Castro Hernandéz, based on the holotype found in 2020 in La Dorada, Caldas, Colombia. Additional specimens also found in Caldas Department were considered in the description. The specific name imbricata is from the Latin imbricatus, referring to the overlapping leaflets. Z. imbricata is a member of the Manicata clade.Description
The stem of Z. imbricata is subterranean, long and in diameter. There are one to five leaves at the apex of the stem. The leaves are long and wide, emerging covered with white to tan hairs which are lost as the leaves mature. Leaf stalks are long, ochre to olive-green in color, rarely with a few small prickles. The axes of the leaves are long, also ochre to olive-green in color. There are 6 to 110 leaflets per leaf, overlapping to form a flat leaf surface. Leaflets are lanceolate, dark green, and dull to semi-glossy, with toothed edges. Leaflets in the middle of the leaf are long and wide.As with all Zamia, Z. imbricata is dioecious, with individual plants being either male or female. Pollen strobili are light reddish-brown, conical-cylindrical, long, and in diameter. One or two male strobili appear at one time on a plant, on olive-brown peduncles that are long and in diameter. Ovulate strobili are reddish-brown to brown, cylindrical, long, and in diameter. Only one female strobilus appears on a plant at a time, on an olive-green peduncle, covered with white hair, that is long by in diameter. Seeds are ovoid, long and thick, and have an orange-red sarcotesta.