Zamia meermanii

Zamia meermanii is a cycad endemic to Belize that lives on the limestone cliffs of the karst hills in the centre of the country, between about 40 and 200 m above sea level. Described in 2009 and named after the ecologist who discovered it, this species of the genus Zamia grows in cracks on sheer rock faces, from which its short stem hangs one to three pendent leaves with leathery, strongly veined leaflets. It is one of the few Zamia confined to cliffs, and the IUCN rates it Endangered (2022 assessment).

Key facts about Zamia meermanii

  • Accepted name: Zamia meermanii Calonje (2009), accepted by The World List of Cycads (version 2026.08.15), by GBIF and by the World Checklist of Vascular Plants, on which POWO is based; 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: Belize; Belize and Cayo districts in the original description, to which The World List of Cycads adds Toledo; steep karst hills up to 200 m
  • IUCN status: Endangered (EN B1ab(i,ii,iii,iv,v)), 2022 assessment
  • 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 cold record; mean temperatures in its range do not fall below about 18 °C (64 °F) (see Cold hardiness)
  • Light and soil: cracks in vertical limestone cliffs under semi-deciduous forest, with strongly seasonal light; seedlings do not survive on the forest floor
  • Habit and adult size: globose to cylindrical stem up to 27 cm long and 18 cm wide; 1 to 3 pendent leaves 42 to 146.5 cm long
  • In the UK, US and Australia: several American gardens, including Montgomery Botanical Center (accessions from 2008, 2010 and 2020), Fairchild, Naples, Selby, San Diego, Missouri Botanical Garden, Longwood and the University of Hawaii at Hilo; none recorded in the UK or Australia
  • Toxicity: no data specific to the species; treat it as poisonous, like all cycads (see Toxicity and precautions)

How to recognise Zamia meermanii

Its way of life gives it away: it grows on a rock face, and its leaves hang into space. The original description, published in 2009 by Michael Calonje of Montgomery Botanical Center, distinguishes it by its 1 to 3 pendent leaves carrying leathery leaflets, entire or notched in the upper third, with prominent veins on the upper surface and persistent hairs underneath. In detail:

  • Stem: globose to cylindrical, up to 27 cm long and 18 cm wide, solitary or occasionally branched on older plants; papery cataphylls.
  • Leaves: 1 to 3 per stem, pendent, 42 to 146.5 cm long; petiole 26 to 60 cm with an abruptly swollen base, either unarmed or with many prickles (over 50) up to 3 mm; rachis 50 to 109 cm, unarmed or with a few prickles.
  • Leaflets: 7 to 23 pairs on adult plants, obovate to oblanceolate or narrowly oblong, leathery, 12.5 to 32 cm long and 3.4 to 7.5 cm wide, with 31 to 56 veins prominently raised on the upper surface; margins entire or crenately notched in the upper third; some brown hairs persist underneath along the margins and near the base.
  • Young leaves: reddish brown under dense white hairs, turning cream with saffron-orange hairs, then gradually green and smooth above.
  • Male cones: conical-cylindrical, erect, 13 to 16 cm long at pollen release, single or in groups of 2 to 5 or more, cream to brown, on a peduncle 9 to 10 cm long with rusty hairs; 22 to 28 pollen sacs per scale, in two groups.
  • Female cones: cylindrical, solitary, erect, 12 to 20 cm long and 6 to 7 cm in diameter, with tan to light brown hairs; peduncle 8 to 12 cm.
  • Seeds: with a red fleshy coat at maturity, 2 to 2.5 cm long; the first leaf of seedlings usually carries a single pair of ovate leaflets.

The naturalist Jay Vannini sums it up as a lithophytic species with a short emergent caudex holding a few hairy leaves with distinctly nerved leaflets, somewhat reminiscent of Zamia furfuracea and of Zamia prasina, which grows in the same region (Vannini, 2019).

Hybrids

No hybrid, natural or raised in cultivation, is documented.

Possible confusion

Away from its habitat, the most similar plant is Zamia furfuracea, from Veracruz in Mexico: both have leathery leaflets, hairy underneath, with marked veins above. The original description separates them as follows:

  • Zamia meermanii: stem usually solitary; 1 to 3 pendent leaves; young leaves cream with saffron-orange hairs; leaflets up to 28 cm long and at most 0.8 mm thick, with strongly raised veins; 22 to 28 pollen sacs per male scale;
  • Zamia furfuracea: stems branching freely; 5 to 7 erect or slightly arching leaves; young leaves light green with mostly white hairs; leaflets up to 18 cm long and up to 1 mm thick, with barely raised veins; 40 or more pollen sacs per male scale.

Two other Central American Zamia also live on cliffs with 1 to 3 pendent leaves: Zamia cremnophila, from south-eastern Mexico, and Zamia sandovalii, from Honduras. Their leaflets are flat, without raised veins or persistent hairs, and clearly toothed in the upper half; the key in the original description then separates Zamia cremnophila (grooved petiole) from Zamia sandovalii (rounded petiole, clearly sickle-shaped leaflets).

Since 2023 a fourth cliff-dweller has been known, Zamia magnifica, from Oaxaca, which its authors consider the closest species to Zamia meermanii. Their comparison, based on plants measured in Belize in 2008, gives Zamia meermanii concave, distinctly leathery leaflets, cream young leaves with saffron-orange hairs, leaves of 71 to 147 cm and median leaflets of 18 to 32 cm by 3.4 to 7.5 cm; Zamia magnifica has convex leaflets, pink then caramel young leaves and much larger leaves and leaflets (Pérez-Farrera and colleagues, 2023).

Taxonomy

Zamia meermanii is an accepted name according to The World List of Cycads, GBIF and the World Checklist of Vascular Plants, on which POWO is based (read on GBIF, version of 4 June 2026); POWO itself could not be consulted. It was described in 2009 by Michael Calonje in the Journal of the Botanical Research Institute of Texas (volume 3, issue 1, pages 23 to 29), in the same issue as an article describing Zamia decumbens, another species from Belize. It has never had another name.

The original description compared it with Zamia furfuracea for its appearance, without deciding on their relationship: in the absence of a well-resolved phylogeny of the genus, Calonje noted that it could not be said whether the cliff-dwelling habit had arisen once or several times in Zamia.

Relationships. The transcriptome phylogeny of Lindstrom and colleagues (2024), which included a plant from the Belize District, places Zamia meermanii at the first divergence of subclade III-A, a group of species distributed through most of Mexico and south to western Guatemala and Belize, and suggests that Zamia purpurea is closer to it than previously thought. In the earlier phylogeny of Calonje and colleagues (2019), the other members of this subclade formed a “Mexico clade” from which Zamia meermanii was excluded. Lindstrom and colleagues also list it among the specialist lithophytes of the genus, with Zamia cremnophila, Zamia magnifica and Zamia sandovalii.

Etymology and history

The epithet honours Jan Meerman, a Dutch ecologist living in Belize, who discovered the species in February 1999 with Martin Meadows of the Belize Botanic Gardens during a rapid ecological assessment of a private protected area. He went on to gather data on its distribution and ecology, used in the description, and brought a team from Montgomery Botanical Center, in Florida, to Belize in August and September 2008 to study the country’s Zamiaceae (Calonje, 2009).

The type was collected on 28 August 2008 in the Belize District, at 60 m, by Michael Calonje, Jan Meerman and Patrick Griffith (number BZ08-152). The holotype is kept at the Belize herbarium (BRH), with isotypes at Fairchild (FTG), the Missouri Botanical Garden (MO), the New York Botanical Garden (NY) and the Instituto de Ecología in Xalapa (XAL). The male cones photographed for the description came from plants grown at the Green Hills Botanical Collections, near San Ignacio.

Common names

No common name is attested for this species, in English or in Spanish.

In the wild

Zamia meermanii is endemic to Belize. The original description places it in the Cayo and Belize districts, in seasonally dry tropical evergreen broadleaved lowland forest on steep karst hills, up to 200 m; The World List of Cycads adds the Toledo District, where an observation was recorded in 2014. These forests are semi-deciduous: more than half of the trees are leafless for at least a month in the dry season, so the light reaching the cliffs changes dramatically between the dry and rainy seasons. Herbarium labels from 2008 describe forest on steep terrain with soils constantly enriched in lime, between 26 and 66 m.

The species appears to grow only on cliffs: it is found in cracks and crevices of vertical limestone walls and not on the surrounding forest floor. Seedlings that germinate at the foot of the cliffs all die within one or two years, according to Jan Meerman’s observations reported in the description. In August 2008, however, the team found seedlings in a crevice above a female plant, from the same cone as those growing on the ground: an unknown agent had carried seeds up the rock face (Calonje, 2009). Vannini describes plants usually perched fully exposed on karst outcrops and at their forested bases (Vannini, 2019).

The climate of the range is estimated at 2,000 to 2,500 mm of rain a year, with a dry season from February to May (April is the driest month, with 50 to 70 mm); temperatures range from 18 to 31 °C (64 to 88 °F), with an annual mean of 25 °C (77 °F), January being the coolest month.

Male cones elongate in August and September in the wild; in cultivation near San Ignacio they shed pollen in October and November. The pollinator has not been observed, but the many seedlings show that it is active. Caterpillars of the butterfly Eumaeus toxea have been seen eating the young leaves (Calonje, 2009).

Conservation status and regulation

Zamia meermanii is rated Endangered (EN) by the IUCN under criteria B1ab(i,ii,iii,iv,v), in an assessment by Michael Calonje and Patrick Griffith published in 2022 (The World List of Cycads; reference checked on Crossref). The original description had already proposed this category: an extent of occurrence estimated at 750 km², an area of occupancy of 300 km² and a total population estimated at 9,000 plants, based on 30 adults per km² (unpublished data from Jan Meerman). The populations, each of a few plants, are isolated on hills separated by plains, savannas and farmland.

The threats cited in 2009 are fire, used in slash-and-burn farming and spreading up the karst hills, quarrying for aggregate and dolomite, and illegal collection of plants and seeds. About half of the area of occupancy lies within protected areas, and the difficulty of reaching the cliffs limits the risk of poaching; exact localities were not published (Calonje, 2009).

Like all Zamia except Zamia restrepoi, which is in Appendix I, Zamia meermanii is covered by the listing of the genus in CITES Appendix II, in force since 4 February 1977. Annotation #4 (the version adopted at CoP20, in force on 5 March 2026) exempts seeds, pollen, seedlings and tissue cultures obtained in vitro and transported in sterile containers, and cut flowers of artificially propagated plants; international trade in the plants themselves requires an export permit. 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+, the official CITES database, names the species and confirms this status (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, ask the seller for proof of origin and prefer plants raised from cultivated seed.

Growing Zamia meermanii

No detailed growing advice has been published for Zamia meermanii, but the plant is in cultivation. Plants grown at the Green Hills Botanical Collections in Belize produced fertile male cones for the description (Calonje, 2009), and Montgomery Botanical Center has held it since the 2008 expedition. Jay Vannini notes that it is still uncommon in cultivation, although recent seedling releases by private growers in the United States have raised awareness of this handsome, smallish cycad, and suggests that, like Zamia cremnophila, it could be an unusual addition to a vertical tropical garden or planted wall (Vannini, 2019).

Simon Lavaud, of the French specialist nursery Cycadales.eu, illustrates it among the Zamia of Mexico and northern Central America, a group he rates of medium difficulty because most of its species come from climates with a marked dry season and tolerate dry air and a fairly dry compost in winter. For this group he recommends a free-draining, slightly calcareous or neutral compost, any kind of water, winter temperatures of 5 to 10 °C (41 to 50 °F) with daytime rises to 20 to 25 °C (68 to 77 °F) and a compost kept fairly dry but not parched, and summer temperatures of 15 to 20 °C (59 to 68 °F) at night and 25 to 30 °C (77 to 86 °F) by day for at least four to six months (Lavaud, 2023). This is advice for the whole group; the limestone and seasonally dry habitat of Zamia meermanii fits it well, but no trial with the species has been published.

Outdoor and in-ground cultivation

Outdoors, it suits frost-free tropical and warm subtropical climates, ideally planted in a crevice of limestone rock or on a steep, very free-draining slope where its leaves can hang. Its natural habitat, under a canopy that loses much of its foliage in the dry season, suggests bright light with some shade during the hottest months.

Container cultivation

Elsewhere it is a plant for a warm glasshouse or conservatory. A tall pot or a hanging basket lets the leaves fall as they do on the cliffs; a mineral, very free-draining compost, slightly calcareous or neutral, follows from its habitat on limestone and from Lavaud’s advice. Water generously in the warm season and keep it drier in winter.

In cultivation in the UK, US and Australia

In short: well represented in American gardens, absent from British and Australian ones.

  • United States: Montgomery Botanical Center, Coral Gables, Florida, nine accessions registered in 2008, 2010 and 2020 according to its online catalogue (queried on 25 October 2026); Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden (online Garden Explorer); Naples Botanical Garden and Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, Florida; San Diego Botanic Garden, California; Missouri Botanical Garden, St Louis; Longwood Gardens, Pennsylvania; and the botanical garden of the University of Hawaii at Hilo (all declared to BGCI, which does not prove that the plants are still alive).
  • United Kingdom: no record in BGCI or in the online catalogues of British gardens.
  • Australia: no record in BGCI.

Propagation

The plant is dioecious: a male and a female plant are needed to obtain seed, and in cultivation hand pollination. The original description shows a seedling raised from the type, with a first leaf carrying a single pair of leaflets, but no germination data have been published. Seeds are exempt from CITES under annotation #4; make sure they come from cultivated plants.

Pests and diseases

In the wild, caterpillars of Eumaeus toxea eat the young leaves (Calonje, 2009). No disease specific to the species is documented. In cultivation, Zamia are chiefly at risk from rot in cold, waterlogged compost and from scale insects.

Cold hardiness

No data exist on the cold tolerance of Zamia meermanii. Temperatures in its range do not fall, on average, below about 18 °C (64 °F), and nothing suggests that it can take frost. The winter minimum of 5 to 10 °C (41 to 50 °F) that Lavaud gives for its group is advice for growers, not a measured limit for this species.

Mediterranean and European experience

No cultivation result has been published in France or elsewhere in Europe, either in the ground or in a pot, and no dated frost episode concerns the species; the Jardin botanique de Lyon, in France, declares it to BGCI without having published anything on its cultivation. For readers in Mediterranean-type climates such as California or southern Australia, it is, on present knowledge, a plant for a warm glasshouse or for a sheltered, frost-free spot only.

United Kingdom, United States and Australia

No cold record exists, and none of the American gardens that hold it has published how its plants respond to cold.

Toxicity and precautions

No toxicity study specific to Zamia meermanii has been published. The risk is, however, well documented in cycads: Zamia contain toxic glycosides (cycasin, macrozamin), from which methylazoxymethanol is derived, a compound toxic to the liver and nervous system, and the ASPCA cites cycasin and BMAA, a neurotoxic amino acid, for Zamia furfuracea, which it lists as toxic to 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 use is documented for this species.

Frequently asked questions

Where does Zamia meermanii grow?

Only in Belize, on limestone cliffs in karst hills up to 200 m, in the Belize and Cayo districts (and Toledo according to The World List of Cycads).

Does it really grow on cliffs?

Yes. It lives in cracks in vertical rock faces, not on the forest floor, where its seedlings all die within one or two years according to the published observations.

How can it be told from Zamia furfuracea?

By its 1 to 3 pendent leaves (5 to 7 erect leaves in Zamia furfuracea), its usually solitary stem, its cream young leaves with saffron-orange hairs and the strongly raised veins on the upper side of its leaflets.

Where does the name come from?

From Jan Meerman, a Dutch ecologist living in Belize, who discovered it in February 1999. Michael Calonje described it in 2009.

Is it endangered?

Yes. The IUCN rates it Endangered (2022). Fire, quarrying and illegal collection threaten small, isolated populations, estimated at 9,000 plants in all in 2009.

Can it be grown?

Yes, in warm conditions. It is held by several American botanical gardens and has been distributed as seedlings by private growers in the United States, but it remains uncommon.

Is it hardy?

Almost certainly not. No cold data exist, and mean temperatures in its range do not fall below about 18 °C (64 °F).

Is it poisonous?

It must be assumed so. No analysis specific to the species exists, but the cycads studied contain serious toxins, mainly in the seeds.

Further reading on Succulentes

Sources

Reference sites

Bibliography

  • Calonje, M. (2009). A new cliff-dwelling species of Zamia (Zamiaceae) from Belize. Journal of the Botanical Research Institute of Texas 3(1): 23–29. [Original description; full text read.]
  • Pérez-Farrera, M.A., Gutiérrez-Ortega, J.S., Martínez-Martínez, M.G. & Calonje, M. (2023). Zamia magnifica (Zamiaceae, Cycadales): a new rupicolous cycad species from Sierra Norte, Oaxaca, Mexico. Taxonomy 3(2): 232–249. https://doi.org/10.3390/taxonomy3020017 [Comparison with Zamia meermanii; 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 [Full text read on PubMed Central.]
  • Calonje, M., Meerow, A.W., Griffith, M.P., Salas-Leiva, D., Vovides, A.P., Coiro, M. & Francisco-Ortega, J. (2019). A time-calibrated species tree phylogeny of the New World cycad genus Zamia L. (Zamiaceae, Cycadales). International Journal of Plant Sciences 180(4): 286–314. [Not consulted; cited after Lindstrom and colleagues (2024).]
  • Calonje, M. & Griffith, M.P. (2022). Zamia meermanii. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2022: e.T187841A1829297. https://doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2022-1.RLTS.T187841A1829297.en [Red List assessment; reference given by The World List of Cycads and checked on Crossref; the Red List page could not be 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.]