Plants and mushrooms
Zamia
| Common name |
|
Zamia |
| Botanical name |
|
Macrozamia species, most commonly M.miquelii, M.macleayi, M.lucida, M.communis |
| Other common names |
|
Zamia palm, Wild pineapple |
| Family |
|
Zamiaceae |
| General description |
|
Palm-like plants to 1m high with a crown of large leathery leaves. |
| Flowers |
|
The cones are the reproductive part of the plant. |
| Leaves |
|
The leaves are 50-80cm long and 30-40cm wide, with numerous leaflets that have no obvious midrib. |
| Fruit/Berries |
|
The fruiting cones are similar in appearance to an elongated pineapple, with large round to oblong seeds up to 4cm long and 2.5cm across, red, orange or yellow. |
| Other |
|
The sap is clear. |
| Symptoms |
|
If eaten, the raw fruit may cause headache and severe gastro-intestinal irritation including stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea. In a very few severe cases, liver damage, coma and death have been reported. The male cone has a fruity odour when releasing pollen and this has been recorded as causing respiratory distress. |
| Toxicity category |
|
2, 4 |
| Warning |
|
Seek urgent medical attention for all ingestions. |
Other languages