About

Zamia stevensonii (blanco) is a species of cycad in the family Zamiaceae. It is found in the vicinity of the Panama Canal and the Chagres River in central Panama.

Z. stevensonii was described in 2012 by Taylor Blake & Holzman from plants that had previously been identified as variously belonging to Z. elegantissima, Z. fairchildiana, and Z. pseudomonticola. While Z. stevensonii and Z. elegantissima in particular are similar, the authors found sufficient differences in vegetative and reproductive structures and in pollinators to separate Z. stevensonii from the other three species. The specific name srevensonii honors Dennis W. Stevenson, who has worked extensively on cycads in Panama and elsewhere in the Americas. The common name, also used in the horticultural trade, is blanco, because the emergent leaves are white.

Where it grows

Z. stevensonii grows in humid tropical forest between 110 and 700 metres (360 and 2,300 ft) elevation in the area of the Panama Canal. While the species is commonly found in humid forest, it is also dry hardy. The plants are resistant to injury, and small parts of a stem removed from a plant may rejuvenate into a new plant. Z. stevensonii is adundant near the Panama Canal, in the Chagres Valley, particularly at the site of a former U.S. Army post in Chagres National Park. Plants are being illegally removed for sale, and habitat destruction is occurring in part of the species' range.

Other Zamia plants

Zamia acuminata · Zamia amazonum · Cycad · Cycad · Cycad · Zamia boliviana · Zamia brasiliensis · Zamia chigua · Cycad · Zamia cunaria · Zamia decumbens · Zamia disodon