Lepidozamia peroffskyana

Common name: Pineapple cycad
                                               
Special Notes: Native to Eastern Australia, this is a slow growing palm-like cycad with a thick heavy trunk. The lush pinnate leaves are 7 to 9 foot long, with dark shiny green leaflets. It has some of the largest cones of all cycads. Plant in a well-drained soil in light shade or full coastal sun, but best with at least afternoon shade to prevent leaf scorch. Can tolerate relatively dry conditions but looks its best with regular to occasional irrigation. Tolerates moderate frosts and listed hardy to around 25 °F. This is a beautiful fern-like friendly cycad that has no spines or sharp leaf tips. A great plant for the shade garden and unlike some other cycads it reliably puts out new crowns of leaves at least once per year. Seed produced on plants in Tim Gregory’s garden. Parents were grown from seed collected in Queensland in 1990.  Not Endangered.

Family: Zamiaceae
Native to: Wet eucalypt forest in the coastal mountains of northern New South Wales and southern Queensland, Australia.
Form: Palm-like
Size: Medium sized, trunk usually single, to 10 inches in diameter and three feet high in 40 years. Leaves without spines, soft and leathery, to six feet long.
Flowers: Makes large single cone in center of crown, separate male and female plants.
Light: Shade to part sun.
Water: Regular summer water and fertilizer, winter rain causes no problem.
Hardiness: Hardy to low 20’s, especially if protected by other vegetation.
Soil: Not particular, needs good drainage