Zamia gomeziana

Zamia gomeziana is a cycad of Costa Rica, known from the premontane rainforests of the Caribbean slope of the Cordillera de Talamanca, in Limón province. This species of the genus Zamia was described in 2010 by Rafael H. Acuña-Castillo from a single specimen collected in 1989 on the Fila de Matama, at 1,350 m, which had long been filed under Zamia fairchildiana. Its status as a species is still debated, and the IUCN rates it Near Threatened.

Key facts about Zamia gomeziana

  • Accepted name: Zamia gomeziana R.H.Acuña (2010), accepted by The World List of Cycads (version 2026.08.15) and by GBIF; POWO could not be consulted directly
  • Former names and synonyms: no synonym; the type specimen was identified as Zamia fairchildiana before 2010
  • Family: Zamiaceae, order Cycadales
  • Common names: no name attested, in English or in any other language
  • Natural range: Costa Rica, Limón province (Fila de Matama, Caribbean slope of the Cordillera de Talamanca)
  • IUCN status: Near Threatened (NT), criterion B2a, assessment published in 2022; Vulnerable (VU B2a) proposed by the author in 2010
  • 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 data (see Cold hardiness)
  • Light and soil: understorey of premontane rainforest, around 1,350 m, without a marked dry season (type locality); no cultivation data
  • Habit and adult size: emergent, cylindrical stem 1 to 2 m tall; leaves 105 to 175 cm long (from the only specimen known when it was described)
  • In the UK, US and Australia: no record in BGCI or in the online catalogues of the main gardens
  • Toxicity: no data specific to the species; treat it as poisonous, like all cycads (see Toxicity and precautions)

How to recognise Zamia gomeziana

The description rests on a single herbarium specimen, made up of two complete leaves and two female cones. According to the original description (Acuña-Castillo, 2010, Brenesia), which takes up the master’s thesis written by the same author that year, the stem is emergent and cylindrical, 1 to 2 m tall.

Leaves and leaflets

The leaves are 105 to 175 cm long; the petiole and rachis carry large, widely spaced prickles, and the base of the petiole is strongly widened and flat on top. The rachis, 70 to 100 cm long, straight or slightly arched, is 1.5 to 2.2 times as long as the petiole (30 to 80 cm), and the leaflets are inserted on it at an angle of 50 to 70°.

Each leaf has 13 to 24 pairs of almost straight, narrowly sickle-shaped to lanceolate, asymmetric and smooth leaflets, 32 to 38 cm long and 3 to 4 cm wide (35 by 3.6 cm on average, the longest more than 40 cm), so about ten times as long as wide, with an entire margin and a straight, very long tip (more than a quarter of the leaflet).

Cones and seeds

The female cone, barrel-shaped, measures about 20 by 8 cm when dry according to the description (17 by 8 cm in the table of the same paper). It is borne on a stalk 11 cm long covered in thick brown down, longer than in any other Zamia of Costa Rica and western Panama outside the Zamia skinneri complex, and has 7 rows and 8 columns of hexagonal, brown-downy scales, a sterile tip less than 0.5 cm long and fewer than 100 seeds. The seeds are orange and 1 cm long according to the published description; the 2010 thesis described them as pink. The male cone, the bark of the stem and the cataphylls are unknown.

Jay Vannini, a naturalist who grows Central American cycads in the United States and Guatemala, published in 2019 photographs of wild plants taken at an undisclosed locality in eastern Costa Rica, including young plants growing from a disintegrated cone around a mature, presumably female plant; he notes their lightly spined, almost smooth petiole bases and the shape of their leaflets (Vannini, 2019).

Hybrids

No hybrid has been documented.

Possible confusion

According to the original description, Zamia gomeziana differs from its neighbours as follows:

  • Zamia fairchildiana, of the southern Pacific slope: curved or S-shaped leaflets, finely toothed near the tip, with a short tip; a smaller female cone with a longer conical sterile tip, on a stalk of about 6 cm on average;
  • Zamia pseudomonticola, of the mountain ranges of southern Costa Rica: leaflets less than seven times as long as wide, with a short tip; greenish cones on stalks less than 5 cm long;
  • Zamia chigua, absent from Costa Rica: a thicker petiole and rachis, the rachis grooved on each side, curved, overlapping leaflets, and stalks rarely longer than 3 cm.

The two Costa Rican species also live on opposite slopes of the country’s mountains, which makes provenance a useful clue.

Taxonomy

Zamia gomeziana is an accepted name according to The World List of Cycads and GBIF; POWO could not be consulted directly. The species was published in 2010 by Rafael H. Acuña-Castillo in the Costa Rican journal Brenesia (73–74: 29–33), at the end of his revision of the Costa Rican Zamia. The type specimen (G. Herrera and A. Chacón 2865), collected on 29 April 1989 at the headwaters of the río Aguas Zarcas, on the Fila de Matama (El Progreso, Limón), at 1,350 m, had been identified as Zamia fairchildiana in the CR and INB herbaria and considered unusual because of its locality. The holotype is kept at the national herbarium of Costa Rica (CR), with an isotype at the INBio herbarium (INB). The author separated it from that species by its leaflets and cones and by its distribution on the Caribbean slope.

A debated species

The species remains debated. Vannini (2019) notes that reservations about its validity were expressed by Grayum and Hammel (2011, cited by Vannini), but considers that its outlying distribution and its morphology warrant further evaluation. In 2014 a specialist grower pointed out on the French Fous de palmiers forum that the differences from Zamia fairchildiana are small (leaflet size, stalk length) and that the description rests on a single plant. The World List of Cycads nevertheless accepts it, and the IUCN assessed it in 2022. Vannini (2019) also suggests that an undescribed Guatemalan Zamia, close to Zamia monticola, may be related to Zamia onan-reyesii, Zamia fairchildiana and Zamia gomeziana; this is an author’s opinion, not a published analysis. The species was not sampled in the transcriptome phylogeny of Lindstrom and colleagues (2024), so its place in the genus has not been tested by molecular data.

Etymology and history

The species honours Luis Diego Gómez Pignataro (1944–2009), the Costa Rican botanist who had described Zamia fairchildiana and Zamia pseudomonticola. According to its author, it went unnoticed because of the difficulty of reaching the mountains where it might grow: in 2010 he had not yet seen any wild plant. Photographs of plants in the wild have since been published (Vannini, 2019).

Common names

No vernacular name is known, in English, Spanish or any other language.

In the wild

According to the original description, the only specimen known in 2010 was collected in the understorey of premontane rainforest at 1,350 m on the Fila de Matama, a rugged region little affected by people, where large tracts of primary forest survive. On this Caribbean slope of the Talamanca, at middle elevations, there is no real dry season and it rains almost all year; mosses and liverworts growing on the leaves covered the leaflets and petioles of the specimen. The plant, a female, carried its cones in April; male cones remain unknown (Acuña-Castillo, 2010). The author stresses that no Zamia has been collected above 1,600 m in Costa Rica or Panama, and that the populations of this slope have probably been isolated for thousands of years from their closest relatives on the Pacific side. Vannini (2019) describes it as a localised endemic of middle-elevation cloud forest on the Caribbean slope of the Cordillera de Talamanca, in south-eastern Costa Rica. The number of plants and the true extent of the populations have not been documented.

Conservation status and regulation

Zamia gomeziana is rated Near Threatened (NT) on the IUCN Red List, in the assessment by R.H. Acuña-Castillo published in 2022, under criterion B2a, which concerns a small area of occupancy and few locations (The World List of Cycads; GBIF gives the same category; the Red List itself could not be consulted). In the original description the author proposed, as a precaution, the category Vulnerable (VU B2a), since the species was known only from its type locality, while judging direct threats unlikely: the Fila de Matama is sparsely populated, mostly covered in primary forest and hard to reach (Acuña-Castillo, 2010).

Like all Zamia except Zamia restrepoi, Zamia gomeziana falls under CITES Appendix II, where the genus has been listed since 4 February 1977. International trade in live plants is allowed but requires an export permit from 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.

Species+ has no separate entry for the species, which is covered by the listing “Zamia spp.” (checked on 3 October 2026). This general information does not replace the official texts: check the regulations in force before buying or exchanging plants or seeds, and ask the seller for proof of origin.

Growing Zamia gomeziana

No cultivation has been documented, in a botanical garden or by private growers. Its habitat, a mid-elevation rainforest without frost or dry season, is the only specific pointer. Simon Lavaud, of the French specialist nursery Cycadales.eu, nevertheless lists it in his group of the Zamia of Costa Rica, Panama and the lowland forests of South America, rated “difficult” outside the tropics (Lavaud, 2023). For this group he recommends:

  • a free-draining compost and water that are neutral to acid;
  • night temperatures around 22 °C (71.6 °F), with only brief spells at about 15 °C (59 °F) tolerated;
  • day temperatures of 28 to 30 °C (82.4 to 86 °F); most species tolerate 34 to 35 °C (93.2 to 95 °F), but heat peaks can damage new leaves;
  • high air humidity, between 70 and 90 per cent, for optimal growth;
  • in Europe, a glasshouse, conservatory, bright heated room or growth chamber.

These are recommendations for a group of species, not measurements made on Zamia gomeziana, which grows higher, at about 1,350 m, than most members of the group; nothing is known of its own needs.

Outdoor and in-ground cultivation

No outdoor planting is known anywhere. Only a frost-free, constantly humid tropical climate would match its habitat.

Container cultivation

No container cultivation is documented. Should plants of legal origin become available, the advice above for warm-growing, rainforest Zamia under glass would be the starting point.

In cultivation in the UK, US and Australia

In short: no record in any of the three countries.

  • United States: no record in BGCI or in the online catalogue of Montgomery Botanical Center (both queried on 25 October 2026).
  • United Kingdom: no record in BGCI or in the online catalogues of British gardens (Edinburgh, Cambridge, Chelsea Physic Garden).
  • Australia: no record in BGCI or in the online catalogues of Australian gardens.

Propagation

No data. Like all Zamia, the species has separate male and female plants, and any propagation would be from seed of fertilised plants; seedlings around a wild female plant were photographed in Costa Rica (Vannini, 2019).

Pests and diseases

No pest or disease has been documented.

Cold hardiness

No data exist on the tolerance of Zamia gomeziana to cold, heat or drought. Its only documented habitat is a frost-free rainforest at about 1,350 m.

Mediterranean and European experience

No cultivation has been reported in France or elsewhere in Europe, and no dated frost episode concerns the species; on the French Fous de palmiers forum it appears only in a taxonomic discussion (2014).

United Kingdom, United States and Australia

No cold record exists, since the species is not known in cultivation. In the UK it could only be grown in a heated glasshouse.

Toxicity and precautions

No toxicity study specific to Zamia gomeziana 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 has been documented.

Frequently asked questions

Where does Zamia gomeziana grow?

In Costa Rica, on the Caribbean slope of the Cordillera de Talamanca (Limón province), at about 1,350 m on the Fila de Matama.

Why this name?

In honour of the Costa Rican botanist Luis Diego Gómez Pignataro (1944–2009), who had described two other Zamia of the country.

Is it a real species?

Yes, for The World List of Cycads and the IUCN. Several authors nevertheless point out that it was described from a single specimen and differs little from Zamia fairchildiana, and some have questioned its validity.

How can it be told from Zamia fairchildiana?

By its almost straight leaflets, with an entire margin and a very long tip, and by a larger female cone with a very short sterile tip on a longer stalk (11 cm, against about 6 cm on average in Zamia fairchildiana). The two species live on opposite slopes.

Is it endangered?

It has been rated Near Threatened (NT) by the IUCN since 2022.

Can it be grown?

No cultivation is known. Any plant should come from artificial propagation and be accompanied by CITES documents.

Further reading on Succulentes

Sources

Reference sites

Bibliography

  • Acuña-Castillo, R.H. (2010). A new species of Zamia (Zamiaceae) from Costa Rica. Brenesia 73–74: 29–33. [Protologue; full text read: description, type, comparisons, habitat, climate, proposed status.]
  • Acuña-Castillo, R.H. (2010). Revisión taxonómica y morfológica y distribución de Zamia (Zamiaceae) en Costa Rica. Master’s thesis, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José. hdl:10669/84075 [Revision not published in a journal; full text consulted.]
  • 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.]
  • 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 [Lists Zamia gomeziana among the accepted species not sampled; full text consulted.]
  • Lavaud, S. (2023). Comment cultiver les Zamia en climat tempéré. Cycadales.eu. [Growing advice for groups of species; read directly.]
  • Acuña-Castillo, R.H. (2022). Zamia gomeziana. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2022: e.T66910190A66910195. [Current assessment (NT); cited by The World List of Cycads, Red List page not consulted.]
  • 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.]
  • 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.]