Kangaroo Nut
Macrozamia pauli-guilielmi
Family: Zamiaceae
What it is like
A small cycad. It has an oval underground trunk. This is 25 cm long and 20 cm across. The young leaves are light green and erect. There are 1-6 mature leaves in an erect open crown. They are 0.5-1.2 m long by 30-50 cm wide. The are dark green and dull. The stalk is twisted making the leaflets look as if they are in rings. The leaf stalk is 5-15 cm long. There are 140-200 leaflets on each leaf. The cones are different. The male cone is 10-20 cm long by 4-6 cm wide. They are usually curved and green. There are 1-3 per plant. The female cones are 8-15 cm long by 6-8 cm wide and barrel shaped. They are green and there are 1-2 per plant. The seeds are 2-2.5 cm long by 1.5-2 cm wide. They are oval and orange or red.
There are about 25 Macrozamia species. It is endemic to Australia.
Where it is found
They grow naturally in coastal districts of Southern Queensland in Australia. They are often on sandy soils. They are in subtropical climates. They can tolerate mdoerate frosts. They can grow in full sun or light shade.
Countries/locations it is found in
Australia (country/location of origin)
How it is used for food
Edible parts
Seeds kernel, nuts
How it is grown
Plants can be grown from seeds or from slices from the trunk.