Zamia cremnophila

Zamia cremnophila is a cycad of southern Mexico, discovered in the state of Tabasco and also reported from neighbouring Chiapas, which clings to the limestone faces of hills covered with tropical forest. This species of the genus Zamia, described in 1988, has an underground stem and leaves that hang down the rock; its young leaves emerge a deep purplish red. Its name means “cliff-loving”. It is rated Endangered by the IUCN, and it remains rare in cultivation.

Key facts about Zamia cremnophila

  • Accepted name: Zamia cremnophila Vovides, Schutzman & Dehgan (1988), accepted by The World List of Cycads (version 2026.08.15) and by GBIF; POWO could not be consulted directly
  • Former names and synonyms: none
  • Family: Zamiaceae, order Cycadales
  • Common names: no name attested, in English or in Spanish
  • Natural range: Mexico (Tabasco; Chiapas according to The World List of Cycads)
  • IUCN status: Endangered (EN), criteria B1ab(v), assessment published in 2022; listed as in danger of extinction (P) under the Mexican standard NOM-059-SEMARNAT-2010 according to Nicolalde-Morejón and colleagues (2014)
  • CITES and other protection: CITES Appendix II (whole genus, since 1977; seeds exempt under annotation #4); Annex B in the European Union
  • Documented hardiness: no measured data; a specialist nursery rates it “tropical” (see Cold hardiness)
  • Light and soil: in the wild, shaded limestone cliffs and rocky slopes in evergreen tropical forest, at about 50 to 150 m
  • Habit and adult size: underground stem 10 to 25 cm long or more; hanging leaves 0.45 to 2 m long, with 15 to 25 pairs of leaflets
  • In the UK, US and Australia: Montgomery Botanical Center (Florida) holds accessions from 2001 and 2026; also declared to BGCI by Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, the Missouri Botanical Garden and the University of Hawaii at Hilo; no British or Australian record
  • Toxicity: no data specific to the species; treat it as poisonous, like all cycads (see Toxicity and precautions)

How to recognise Zamia cremnophila

Its habit is almost enough: a Zamia growing on rock, with hanging, very prickly leaves whose new growth is purplish red. The measurements below come from the original description (Schutzman, Vovides and Dehgan, 1988), the only detailed source on the species:

  • Stem: underground, usually unbranched, 10 to 25 cm long or more and 3 to 9 cm in diameter.
  • Leaves: hanging, 0.45 to 2 m long. They arch even in the smallest plants, and this habit does not change when their surroundings are altered. Young leaves emerge deep purplish red.
  • Prickles: on the petiole and rachis, often branched, 0.5 to 4 mm long.
  • Leaflets: 15 to 25 pairs, long-lanceolate to oblong, 10 to 36 cm long and 2 to 4 cm wide; they overlap, except in deep shade.
  • Male cone: light brown, on a stalk 2.5 cm long; its scales bear 14 to 18 pollen sacs.
  • Female cones: erect, according to the Latin diagnosis.
  • Seedlings: the first leaves always have two leaflets.
  • Chromosomes: 2n = 16, with a relatively symmetrical karyotype.

Hybrids

No natural hybrid has been documented. A specialist European nursery, Cycadales.eu, offers a garden hybrid of Zamia purpurea and Zamia splendens, but no hybrid involving Zamia cremnophila has been published.

Possible confusion

In the field, its rock-dwelling habit and hanging leaves make it hard to mistake. Its closest relatives are other Mexican Zamia, with which the authors compared it from the outset:

  • Zamia splendens: according to the Latin diagnosis, Zamia cremnophila differs in the hanging, very prickly leaves of adult plants, in its overlapping lanceolate leaflets and in its erect cones.
  • Zamia splendens and Zamia purpurea: the original description notes three further differences. Seedlings of Zamia cremnophila have two leaflets (four in the other two species); its young leaves are purplish red (pinkish red in the other two); and the middle scales of its male cone most often carry 16 pollen sacs, against 20 in Zamia splendens and 4 or 8 in Zamia purpurea.
  • Other cliff-dwelling Zamia of the region, such as Zamia meermanii of Belize, are also specialised lithophytes (Lindstrom and colleagues, 2024); range and leaf characters set them apart.

Taxonomy

Zamia cremnophila is an accepted name according to The World List of Cycads and GBIF; POWO could not be consulted directly. The species was described in 1988 by Andrew P. Vovides, Bart Schutzman and Bijan Dehgan in the Botanical Gazette (volume 149, issue 3, page 351), in a paper presenting two new Zamia from southern Mexico. The type was collected in Tabasco on 18 August 1981 by M.A. Magaña and S. Zamudio (Magaña 343); the holotype is kept at the National Herbarium of Mexico (MEXU), with isotypes in several herbaria (CSAT, FCME, MO, UAMIZ, XAL; the original description cites only the one at XAL). The name has never changed and has no synonym.

From the start, the authors placed the species close to Zamia purpurea and Zamia splendens, on the evidence of the comparisons above. The transcriptome study of Lindstrom and colleagues (2024), which included a sample from Tabasco, counts Zamia cremnophila among the specialist lithophytes of the genus that grow on steep cliff faces. The same study found Zamia purpurea genetically more distinct than earlier work suggested, so the grouping of these Mexican species is still being refined.

Etymology and history

The epithet comes from the Greek kremnos, “cliff, steep bank”, and -philus, “loving”, in reference to its habitat on rock faces (Haynes, 2022, cited by The World List of Cycads).

According to the original description, the authors noticed an unusual specimen in January 1985 in the herbarium of INIREB at Mérida, then visited the locality to study the plant in its habitat. No history of its introduction into cultivation is documented; the specialist nursery Cycadales.eu describes it as rare in cultivation, with seeds very rarely offered for sale.

Common names

No vernacular name is attested, in English or in Spanish: the plant is known only by its scientific name.

In the wild

Zamia cremnophila was discovered in Tabasco, where it grows on the rocky flanks of limestone hills, in evergreen tropical forest (“selva alta perennifolia”, according to the original description); The World List of Cycads also reports it from neighbouring Chiapas. The checklist of Mexican cycads compiled by Nicolalde-Morejón and colleagues (2014) from herbarium records gives it for Tabasco only, between 50 and 150 m, in the Gulf of Mexico biogeographic region. It settles on shaded limestone faces, its leaves hanging down the rock, the habit that gave it its name. Like all cycads, it forms coralloid roots that host nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria. Its pollinator is not documented.

Conservation status and regulation

Zamia cremnophila is rated Endangered (EN) on the IUCN Red List, in the assessment by J.D. Bösenberg published in 2022, under criteria B1ab(v): a small range and a decline in the number of mature individuals (The World List of Cycads; GBIF gives the same category; the Red List itself could not be consulted). In Mexico it is listed as in danger of extinction (category P) under the official standard NOM-059-SEMARNAT-2010, according to Nicolalde-Morejón and colleagues (2014).

Like all Zamia except Zamia restrepoi, Zamia cremnophila falls under CITES Appendix II, where the genus has been listed since 4 February 1977. International trade in the plants requires an export permit issued by the country of origin. The listing carries annotation #4: seeds, pollen, seedlings and tissue cultures obtained in vitro and transported in sterile containers are not covered by CITES. In the European Union the species falls under Annex B of Regulation (EC) No 338/97, whose current list is set by Regulation (EU) 2026/1383, applicable since 29 June 2026.

This general information does not replace the official texts: check the regulations in force before buying or exchanging plants, ask the seller for proof of origin and prefer plants raised from seed in cultivation.

Growing Zamia cremnophila

Few growing reports exist, but two specialist sources give some indications. The original description adds two useful observations: the leaves arch even in small cultivated plants, whatever their surroundings, and the leaflets stop overlapping in deep shade.

Simon Lavaud, of the French specialist nursery Cycadales.eu, places Zamia cremnophila in his group of the Zamia of Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, rated of “medium” difficulty (Lavaud, 2023). For this group, coming mostly from climates with a marked dry season, he recommends:

  • a free-draining compost, slightly calcareous or neutral, and any type of water;
  • in winter, 5 to 10 °C (41 to 50 °F) at night with daytime rises to 20–25 °C (68–77 °F), with only moderate tolerance of long cool spells that never rise above 20 °C (68 °F), the compost being kept fairly dry but not bone dry;
  • in summer, 15 to 20 °C (59 to 68 °F) at night and 25 to 30 °C (77 to 86 °F) by day, tolerating up to 40 °C (104 °F) with generous watering;
  • above all, summer-type temperatures for at least four to six months of the year.

The nursery’s own product page for the species is more cautious: it rates the species “tropical”, describes the seedling stage as somewhat delicate and advises keeping young plants warm, at 20 to 25 °C (68 to 77 °F) minimum, in the first years, with a free-draining compost and generous watering in hot weather. These are recommendations from experience, not measurements.

Outdoor and in-ground cultivation

No outdoor trial outside the tropics has been documented. Jay Vannini, a naturalist and collector who grows Central American cycads in the United States and Guatemala, suggests that cliff-dwelling Mesoamerican cycads such as Zamia cremnophila may prove a welcome addition to a vertical tropical garden or planted wall (Vannini, 2019); this points to frost-free tropical gardens.

Container cultivation

Its hanging habit suggests placing the plant high up, on a rock, in a tall pot or on a wall, so that the leaves can hang freely; a mineral, free-draining compost with some lime suits the habitat and the advice of Cycadales.eu. In cool climates this means a heated glasshouse or a warm room, with a summer growing period that is genuinely warm.

In cultivation in the UK, US and Australia

In short: held by a few American collections; no record in the UK or Australia.

  • United States: Montgomery Botanical Center (Coral Gables, Florida) lists six accession numbers in its online catalogue, four from 2001 (20010242, 20010244 to 20010246) and two from 2026 (20260146, 20260147). Montgomery, Marie Selby Botanical Gardens (Sarasota, Florida), the Missouri Botanical Garden (St. Louis) and the Botanical Garden of the University of Hawaii at Hilo declare it to BGCI (queried on 24 October 2026).
  • Australia: no record in BGCI or in the online catalogues of Australian gardens.
  • United Kingdom: no record in BGCI or in the online catalogues of British gardens (Edinburgh, Cambridge, Chelsea Physic Garden).

Outside these countries, BGCI also lists the Prague Botanical Garden, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden in China and two Mexican gardens (the Francisco Javier Clavijero garden in Xalapa, Veracruz, and the Faustino Miranda garden in Chiapas). A BGCI declaration shows that a garden held the plant at some point, not that it is alive today, and the sources do not say whether these plants are grown outdoors or under glass.

Propagation

No data specific to the species beyond the nursery advice above. Like all Zamia, it has separate male and female plants: both are needed to obtain seed, and in cultivation hand pollination is usually necessary. Seedlings are recognised by their first leaves with two leaflets; according to Cycadales.eu they are somewhat delicate and should be kept warm. Seeds are exempt from CITES under annotation #4, but they must come from plants of legal origin.

Pests and diseases

No pest or disease specific to the species has been documented. For the Mexican group as a whole, Lavaud (2023) stresses that a very wet compost encourages fungal attack when temperatures are low. In cultivation, scale insects are, as in all cycads, the commonest pest.

Cold hardiness

No measured data on cold tolerance exist for Zamia cremnophila. It lives in evergreen tropical forest at low altitude in Tabasco, without frost, and the sources disagree on how much cool weather it tolerates: Cycadales.eu places it in a group that tolerates winter nights of 5 to 10 °C (41 to 50 °F) with a dry compost, but rates the species itself “tropical” and keeps seedlings at 20 °C (68 °F) or more; the San Diego nursery Jungle Music, for its part, counts it among the Zamia that “require very tropical conditions” and “may actually die from cold”.

Mediterranean and European experience

No growing result has been published in France, in the ground or in a pot, and no dated frost episode concerns the species. On the French forum Fous de palmiers its name appears only in a question about which Zamia like limestone, without any growing report. The Jardin zoologique tropical at La Londe-les-Maures, in the Var, has published no observation of this species. Even in a Mediterranean climate, it should be treated as a plant for a heated glasshouse in winter.

United Kingdom, United States and Australia

No dated cold record has been published. Jungle Music, in southern California, warns that it does not tolerate cold weather well; the American gardens that hold it are in Florida, Missouri and Hawaii, but the sources do not say how it is grown there.

Toxicity and precautions

No toxicity study specific to Zamia cremnophila has been published. The risk is, however, documented in the genus and in other cycads: Zamia contain toxic glycosides (cycasin, macrozamin), from which methylazoxymethanol is derived, and for Zamia furfuracea the ASPCA cites cycasin and BMAA, a neurotoxic amino acid, with vomiting, bloody diarrhoea and liver damage in dogs, cats and horses; the seeds are the most dangerous part. In the absence of evidence to the contrary, treat the plant as poisonous: keep seeds and leaves out of reach of children and animals, and wear gloves to clean seeds. If any part is swallowed, contact a poison centre, a doctor or a vet straight away.

Traditional uses

No traditional use specific to the species has been documented.

Frequently asked questions

What does “cremnophila” mean?

“Cliff-loving”, from the Greek kremnos (cliff) and -philus (loving): the plant grows on limestone rock faces.

Where does it grow?

In southern Mexico: in Tabasco, where it was discovered, and in neighbouring Chiapas according to The World List of Cycads, on limestone hills covered with tropical forest, at low altitude.

How can it be recognised?

By its hanging, very prickly leaves that fall down the rock, its purplish-red young leaves and its seedlings with two leaflets.

How does it differ from Zamia splendens and Zamia purpurea?

According to the original description, by its seedlings with two leaflets (four in the other two), its purplish-red young leaves (pinkish red in the other two) and a different number of pollen sacs on the scales of the male cone.

Is it endangered?

Yes. The IUCN rates it Endangered (2022), because of its small range and the decline in the number of adults, and Mexico lists it as in danger of extinction.

How much cold can it take?

Nobody knows precisely: no measured data exist, and specialist nurseries disagree. Treat it as a tropical plant: in the UK, a heated glasshouse or a warm room, with a warm summer.

Is it poisonous?

It should be assumed so. No analysis has been made of this species, but the cycads studied contain serious toxins, especially in the seeds.

Further reading on Succulentes

Sources

Reference sites

Bibliography

  • Schutzman, B., Vovides, A.P. & Dehgan, B. (1988). Two new species of Zamia (Zamiaceae, Cycadales) from southern Mexico. Botanical Gazette 149(3): 347–360. [Protologue of Zamia cremnophila (p. 351); full text read: measurements, type, habitat, differences from related species, karyotype.]
  • Nicolalde-Morejón, F., González-Astorga, J., Vergara-Silva, F., Stevenson, D.W., Rojas-Soto, O. & Medina-Villarreal, A. (2014). Biodiversidad de Zamiaceae en México. Revista Mexicana de Biodiversidad 85(Suppl.): S114–S125. https://doi.org/10.7550/rmb.38114 [Checklist; full text read.]
  • Lindstrom, A., Habib, S., Dong, S., Gong, Y., Liu, J., Calonje, M., Stevenson, D. & Zhang, S. (2024). Transcriptome sequencing data provide a solid base to understand the phylogenetic relationships, biogeography and reticulated evolution of the genus Zamia L. (Cycadales: Zamiaceae). Annals of Botany 134(5): 747–768. https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcae065 [Sample from Tabasco; cliff-dwelling lithophytes; full text consulted.]
  • Lavaud, S. (2023). Comment cultiver les Zamia en climat tempéré. Cycadales.eu. [Growing advice for groups of species; read directly.]
  • Vannini, J. (2019). Central American and Panamanian cycads in field and greenhouse. Exotica Esoterica, 17 February 2019. [Online article by a naturalist and collector; read.]
  • Bösenberg, J.D. (2022). Zamia cremnophila. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2022: e.T42132A243402779. https://doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2022-1.RLTS.T42132A243402779.en [Current assessment (EN); reference taken from The World List of Cycads and Crossref, Red List page not consulted.]
  • Haynes, J.L. (2022). Etymological compendium of cycad names. Phytotaxa 550(1): 1–31. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.550.1.1 [Source of the etymologies given by The World List of Cycads; not consulted directly.]
  • Calonje, M., Stevenson, D.W. & Osborne, R. (2026). The World List of Cycads, version 2026.08.15. Montgomery Botanical Center, Coral Gables. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21958524 [Reference checklist; consulted directly.]