Zamiaceae.
Division Cycadophyta > Order Cycadales > Cycadaceae, Zamiaceae +/- Strangeriace.
Zamiaceae is divided into two or three subfamilies with the first 2 subdivided into Tribes and Subtribes.
1. Subfamily Encephalartoideae:
- Dioon has 13 species.
- Encephalartos has 66 species.
- Macrozamia has 42 species with about 38 endemic in Australia.
- Lepidozamia has 2 species both endemic in Australia.
2. Subfamily Zamioideae.
Zamia has 76 species, Ceratozamia 27, Chigua 2 and Microcycas 1 species.
The Zamiaceae are evergreen plants resembling palms.
The stems/trunks can be underground or up to several metres tall.
They are usually unbranched and covered with leaf bases. Some form suckers.
Leaves are mostly spirally arranged at the crown and interspersed with scale-like leaves.
Leaves are once divided into leaflets which may have toothed or spiny margins.
They have no midrib but several roughly parallel veins.
Plants are either male or female.
3. Subfamily Strangeriaceae.
These are sometimes included in the Zamioideae.
- Bowenia has 2 species both endemic in Australia.
- Strangeria eriopus, from Africa is the only species in the Strangeria genus.
Stangeriaceae have one central vein plus lateral veins.
J.F.
