CHAPTER I 

 THE WESTERN CYCADS 



For convenience, the four western genera, Zamia, 

 Microcycas, Dioon, and Ceratozamia, will be treated 

 separately. All four occur in North America, but, as 

 far as we know, Zamia is the only one which is found in 

 South America. . Ceratozamia and Dioon, however, are 

 popular decorative plants and would grow in the open 

 throughout most parts of Central America and a large 

 part of South America. It is certain that in some cases 

 erroneous reports with regard to geographical distri- 

 bution have been due to exotic specimens. 



ZAMIA 



Zamia, the only genus found in the United States 

 (Fig. 2), has about thirty-five species, more than a third 

 of the whole family. It is represented in Florida by 

 two species, there are several species in Porto Rico and 

 other islands of the Caribbean Sea, some in Mexico and 

 Central America, while others extend across the northern 

 part of South America and down the Andes into Chile. 



Zamia is a small plant with a turnip-like stem which 

 rarely appears above ground, and a crown of leaves which 

 seldom reach a length of more than two feet. The cones 

 are borne in the center of the crown and sometimes are 

 nearly as large as the stem. Starch is very abundant 

 in the underground portions of the plant, and it is often 

 used for food. The stem is pounded to a pulp and 



