''Lepidozamia'' is a genus of two species of

cycad Cycads are seed plants that typically have a stout and woody (ligneous) trunk with a crown of large, hard, stiff, evergreen and (usually) pinnate leaves. The species are dioecious, that is, individual plants of a species are either male o ...

, both endemic to Australia.Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
/ref> They are native to rainforest climates in eastern

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

and eastern

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

. They have a diploid

chromosome A chromosome is a long DNA molecule with part or all of the genetic material of an organism. In most chromosomes the very long thin DNA fibers are coated with packaging proteins; in eukaryotic cells the most important of these proteins are ...

number of 2n = 18.

Etymology

The name is derived from the Greek word ''lepis'' (λεπίς) meaning scale, which refers to the scale-like structure of the stem and leaf bases.

Species

A specimen of ''L. hopei'' is known as the tallest living cycad at 17.5 m tall. These cycads are generally unbranched, tall, and with persistent leaf bases. They are easily cultivated as ornamental plants and are relatively cold hardy; ''L. peroffskyana'' was first described by a specimen grown at

St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

's botanical garden in 1857. Lepidozamia hopei 1

References

The Cycad Pages: ''Lepidozamia''
* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q144423 Endemic flora of Australia Cycadophyta of Australia