Burrawang, Pineapple Zamia, Shining Burrawang
Lepidozamia peroffskyana

Family: Zamiaceae

What it is like

A medium sized cycad. It has an erect trunk 7 m tall. It can be 40 cm across. Young leaves are brown and have a few hairs. The mature leaves form a spreading crown. They are 2-3 m long by 20-40 cm wide. They are dark green and glossy. The leaf stalk is 30-60 cm long. There are 200-250 leaflets on each leaf. They droop towards the base and curve backwards. The average leaflet is 20-30 cm long by 0.7-1.3 cm wide. They taper to the tip. The cones are different. Plants are separately male and female. The male cones are 40-60 cm long by 10-12 cm wide. They are curved. The female cones are 40-80 cm long by 25-30 cm wide and oval and grey-green. The seeds are 5-6 cm long by 3-3.5 cm wide. They are oblong and bright red.

There are 2 living Lepidozamia species.

Where it is found

It suits subtropical and temperate regions. It can grow in full sun or shade. It can tolerate frost. Plants grow best is soils which are free draining but retain moisture and have organic matter. In Eastern Australia it grows from sea level to 1000 m altitude. It suits hardiness zones 10-12. It can grow in a Mediterranean climate.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, Australia (country/location of origin),Indonesia, SE Asia

How it is used for food

CAUTION: The seeds are poisonous. The seeds are eaten after soaking and roasting to remove the toxins. The stems are the source of starch.

Edible parts

Seeds kernel, nuts

How it is grown

Plants are grown from seed. They are slow to germinate. They can take a year to germinate.

Its other names

Local names

Scaly zamia, Sikas zamia bersisik, Sikas zamia nanas

Synonyms

Macrozamia denisonii F.Muell.;