Plants of South Eastern New South Wales

Macrozamia communis

Young male cones. Australian Plant Image Index, photographer Murray Fagg, Australian National Botanic Gardens, Canberra, ACT

Leaves and young female cone. Photographer Jackie Miles

Almost ripe cone about to open. Photographer Jackie Miles

Mature cone showing seeds. Photographer Jackie Miles

Seeds and leaves. Photographer Don Wood, Buckenbowra State Forest west of Batemans Bay

Plant. Photographer Jackie Miles

Common name

Burrawang

Family

Zamiaceae

Where found

Forest. Coast and ranges, north from Tathra.

Notes

Palm like plant. Seeds with a fleshy outer layer. Trunk mostly subterranean but in shallow soils forming a trunk to 2 m high. Leaves appearing basal or clustered at the top of the trunk, 50–100 in the crown, 70–250 cm long. Rachis not twisted; leaflets 70–130, the longest 16–35 cm long, 4–12 mm wide, thick and rigid, rather dull, the lowest leaflets reduced to spines. Male and female cones on different plants. Cones 200–450 mm long, the longest spines on male cones 2–5 cm long, the longest spines on female cones 4–10 cm long. Seeds scarlet when ripe.

Protected NSW.

PlantNET description:  http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Macrozamia~communis (accessed 25 January, 2021)