Ceratozamia hondurensis: the Only Ceratozamia of Honduras

Ceratozamia hondurensis is the only species of the genus Ceratozamia known from Honduras, where it grows in the wet tropical forests of the department of Atlántida, on the Caribbean slope, between 20 and 600 m (about 65 to 1,970 ft). It is a large cycad with very broad leaflets, close in appearance to the Mexican Ceratozamia euryphyllidia. Described only in 2008, it has never had another accepted name. In Honduras it is called “camotillo”, a name linked to the use of cycads as a poison. It is assessed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN and is rare in collections.

Key facts about Ceratozamia hondurensis

Accepted name: Ceratozamia hondurensis J.L.Haynes, Whitelock, Schutzman & R.S.Adams (2008), accepted by The World List of Cycads (version 2026.08.15), by Species+ and by the World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP, the database behind POWO, read via GBIF)
Former names and synonyms: none; an old herbarium specimen carried the unpublished name “Ceratozamia telensis”
Family: Zamiaceae, order Cycadales
Common names: “camotillo” (Spanish, Atlántida, Honduras); no English name
Natural range: Honduras, department of Atlántida (Cordillera Nombre de Dios), 20 to 600 m
IUCN status: Critically Endangered (CR B1ab(i,ii,iii,iv,v)), assessment published in 2022
CITES and other protection: CITES Appendix I (whole genus, since 1985); Annex A in the European Union, seeds included
Documented hardiness: no data; a lowland tropical rainforest species (see Cold hardiness)
Light and soil: in the wild, under dense forest canopy on steep river banks, in slightly acid, humus-rich soils over granite
Habit and adult size: trunk 20 to 50 cm, half underground; 3 to 25 leaves, 1.2 to 3.2 m long; leaflets up to 34.5 cm long and 12.8 cm wide
In the UK, US and Australia: a few American gardens only (see In cultivation)
Toxicity: stems reportedly used locally to prepare a poison; treat the plant as dangerous (see Toxicity and precautions)

How to recognise Ceratozamia hondurensis

Its large, rising leaves carry only a few pairs of very broad, thin leaflets, obovate to broadly oblanceolate, with an entire margin and a symmetrical tip. The 2022 monograph of the genus, by Lilí Martínez-Domínguez and colleagues, describes it as follows:

Trunk: 20 to 50 cm long and about 20 cm in diameter, half underground, upright then lying down; persistent, triangular, reddish-brown cataphylls, covered in brown down when they emerge.
Leaves: 3 to 25, rising, 120 to 322 cm long; light green with greyish-white hairs when they emerge, then hairless. The petiole, 56 to 150 cm long, bears 8 to 34 slender prickles 2.6 to 5 mm long.
Leaflets: 10 to 18 pairs, opposite to nearly opposite, obovate to broadly oblanceolate, membranous, green and hairless above, glaucous beneath; median leaflets 23 to 34.5 cm long and 8 to 12.8 cm wide, 8.5 to 16 cm apart.
Male cones: solitary, cylindrical, upright, 30 to 35 cm long and 4 to 5 cm across, yellowish green, then yellowish cream with blackish hairs.
Female cones: solitary, upright, 18 to 22 cm long and 8 to 10 cm across, ending in a short point; yellowish green with dark red hairs when young, then greenish brown with blackish hairs; 72 to 120 scales with two curved horns 6 to 8 mm long.
Seeds: egg-shaped, 2.1 to 2.6 cm long, with a yellowish-white to yellow fleshy coat before ripening, light brown when ripe.

The original description (Haynes, Whitelock, Schutzman and Adams, 2008) describes an understorey shrub with a solitary underground stem 15 to 25 cm across; wine-red to purplish-burgundy cataphylls; up to 20 or more leaves, 1.4 to 2.8 m long, woolly and bright green when they emerge, then glossy lime green, and finally dark green and covered in lichens and mosses; 6 to 16 pairs of widely spaced leaflets, 24 to 30 cm long and 9 to 13 cm wide, with 40 to 55 veins raised beneath; seedlings with four leaflets; a spindle-shaped male cone 27 to 35 cm long that looks stalkless; a cylindrical to barrel-shaped female cone, upright to leaning but never hanging, 18 to 21 cm long and 10 to 12.5 cm across; and more than 200 seeds per cone. The main differences with the monograph concern the number of leaflet pairs (6 to 16 against 10 to 18) and the colour of the cataphylls.

Hybrids

No hybrid, natural or garden-made, has been documented.

Possible confusion

In Honduras the species can hardly be mistaken, being the country’s only Ceratozamia. In collections, the risk is confusion with Ceratozamia euryphyllidia, of south-eastern Mexico, which also has very broad leaflets. According to the 2022 monograph:

Ceratozamia hondurensis: leaflets with an entire margin and a symmetrical tip; female cone with a short point;
Ceratozamia euryphyllidia: leaflets with a wavy margin and an asymmetrical tip; female cone ending in a long point, up to 5 cm.

The 2008 description used other features against Ceratozamia euryphyllidia: thicker, nearly symmetrical, oblanceolate median leaflets, more elongated (length-to-width ratio of 2.65 against 1.85); glossy lime-green young leaves rather than pale bluish-green; a larger male cone on a shorter stalk (1.5 to 3.5 cm against 6 to 8 cm), green with black hairs throughout; a green, not wine-red, female cone without a pronounced point; and scale horns red at the tip. It separated the species from Ceratozamia zoquorum and Ceratozamia becerrae by its membranous leaflets, armed petiole and opaque veins.

Taxonomy

Ceratozamia hondurensis is accepted by The World List of Cycads, by Species+ and by the WCVP, which records its publication in The Cycad Newsletter 31(2–3), page 18 (2008), and places it in Honduras. It was described in the newsletter of the Cycad Society (pages 16 to 21) by J.L. Haynes, L.M. Whitelock, B. Schutzman and R.S. Adams, under the title “A New Endemic Ceratozamia from Honduras (Cycadales: Zamiaceae)”. The authors placed it in the complex of Ceratozamia miqueliana, because of its strong resemblance to Ceratozamia euryphyllidia despite the distance between them.

Its type has a complicated history. The original description cites two sheets of the collection A.E. Brant and R. Zúniga 2830: the holotype at the EAP herbarium (Zamorano, Honduras) and an isotype at the Missouri Botanical Garden (MO). According to the 2022 monograph, EAP holds no trace of this specimen, which could not be found at TEFH either; the authors therefore designated the Missouri sheet as lectotype, and a duplicate found at the National Herbarium of Mexico (MEXU) as isolectotype. The World List of Cycads still gives the holotype at EAP, with isotypes at MEXU, MO and NY, and spells the collector’s name “Brant” (“Brand” in the monograph).

Etymology and history

The epithet hondurensis refers to Honduras, the country to which the species is endemic (original description; The World List of Cycads). The type plant was collected on 13 April 1994 in the municipality of Esparta, in Atlántida, at about 50 m.

The original description traces a longer story. The oldest known specimen was collected between December 1927 and March 1928 by Paul C. Standley in north-western Honduras (Standley 56779, Smithsonian Institution). First labelled “Zamia”, then Zamia tuerckheimii by D.W. Stevenson, it was given by B. Schutzman in 1998 the unpublished name “Ceratozamia telensis”, after the town of Tela, near which the only population was then thought to grow. Standley collected the plant again twenty years later. In 2003, an expedition by Bonta and Haynes found the two populations then known almost destroyed, one by habitat clearance, the other by illegal collecting, but discovered a healthy population a few kilometres away; plants, including a female in cone, were found again in 2006.

Common names

No English name is recorded. In Atlántida the species is called “camotillo” (Haynes and colleagues, 2008, cited by the 2022 monograph), a name it shares with the Zamia of the Caribbean coast of Honduras. A 2019 ethnobotanical study of the cycads of Mexico and northern Central America shows that “camotillo” is applied to several cycads of the region and is associated with their use as a poison.

In the wild

Ceratozamia hondurensis is endemic to the department of Atlántida, on the Caribbean coast of Honduras. According to the 2022 monograph, it grows in evergreen tropical forest between 20 and 600 m; the specimens examined come from the municipalities of Esparta, La Ceiba and Tela.

The original description places it on the Caribbean slope of the Cordillera Nombre de Dios, on steep river banks under dense canopy in wet tropical evergreen forest, sometimes in the open near the stream bed. The soils, derived from the intrusive granites of the north coast, are slightly acid and rich in humus. The climate is tropical, with fairly regular rain all year (1,800 to more than 2,800 mm, about 70 to 110 in) and a drier season from March to June; the air is so humid that old leaves become covered in lichens and mosses. The populations are small, discrete and widely separated; the largest has perhaps 100 plants and is reproducing, with seedlings seen within a metre of a female plant.

The 2022 monograph notes that data on the state of the populations are insufficient, but that the species has suffered from illegal trade, as shown by seizures made by Honduran customs. The 2008 description already reported that over-collecting had nearly wiped out one population inside a protected area, and that its habit of growing along rivers exposed it to floods on the scale of Hurricane Mitch.

Conservation status and regulation

Ceratozamia hondurensis is assessed as Critically Endangered (CR, criterion B1ab(i,ii,iii,iv,v)) on the IUCN Red List, in an assessment by J.D. Bösenberg and J. Haynes published in 2022: its range is tiny and every indicator followed (range, habitat, number of localities and of individuals) is declining. The category is given by The World List of Cycads and by the Red List data distributed through GBIF (checked on 30 October 2026). The 2022 monograph, written before this publication, said the species was not yet on the Red List; as early as 2008, its describers recommended a Critically Endangered listing (CR A2acd+3cd; B1b(i–v); C1+2a(ii)), noting that it occurred in two protected areas, possibly three.

Like the whole genus, it has been covered by CITES Appendix I since 1 August 1985, and by Annex A of Regulation (EC) No 338/97 in the European Union (annexes now set by Regulation (EU) 2026/1383, applicable since 29 June 2026), seeds included (Species+, checked on 30 October 2026). The customs seizures reported in Honduras are a reminder that wild-collected plants circulate: refuse any plant without proof of origin.

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 cultivated seed.

Growing Ceratozamia hondurensis

No growing advice specific to Ceratozamia hondurensis has been published, and no grower’s report is documented. Its habitat gives the only pointers: the understorey of a lowland tropical rainforest, warm all year, with rain in every month and humus-rich, slightly acid, well-drained soils on river banks. That suggests a warm, humid position in light shade and a rich but free-draining substrate; these pointers have not been confirmed by published trials.

Outdoor and in-ground cultivation

Outdoor planting only makes sense in frost-free tropical or near-tropical climates, such as southern Florida, Hawaii or tropical Queensland, in a shaded, sheltered spot; no outdoor planting of this species has been documented.

Container cultivation

Elsewhere it is a plant for a warm glasshouse. Its very long leaves (up to 3 m in the wild) call for a large container and plenty of space; keep the compost evenly moist but never waterlogged, and the air humid.

In cultivation in the UK, US and Australia

Only three gardens worldwide declare Ceratozamia hondurensis to BGCI PlantSearch, all in the United States: Montgomery Botanical Center (Coral Gables, Florida), which lists 9 accessions received between 2019 and 2022 in its online catalogue, the Huntington (San Marino, California) and Longwood Gardens (Kennett Square, Pennsylvania). Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden (Florida) also lists it in its online Garden Explorer. No garden in the United Kingdom or Australia declares it (BGCI and Montgomery checked on 30 October 2026).

Propagation

No data specific to the species. Like all Ceratozamia, it has separate male and female plants and is propagated from fresh seed after pollination, done by hand in cultivation. In the wild, seedlings grow close to the female plants. Handle the seeds with gloves.

Pests and diseases

No pest or disease specific to the species has been documented. Watch for root rot in cold, wet compost and for scale insects, the usual problems of cycads in cultivation.

Cold hardiness

No cold-tolerance data exist for Ceratozamia hondurensis. It lives close to sea level in a humid tropical climate, and nothing suggests that it tolerates frost.

Mediterranean and European experience

No growing result has been published in France or Italy, in the ground or in a pot, and the Jardin zoologique tropical in La Londe-les-Maures (Var, on the French Riviera) has published no observation of it. The outdoor results published for the genus concern mountain species of north-eastern Mexico and do not apply to this lowland tropical species.

United Kingdom, United States and Australia

No cold record and no commercial hardiness rating have been published. Treat it as a frost-tender tropical plant: outdoors only in frost-free climates, and under heated glass in the UK.

Toxicity and precautions

It is one of the few Ceratozamia whose toxicity is reflected in a local use. The 2022 monograph reports, from a herbarium label, that its stems are used to prepare an infusion to poison animals or people, and that processed stems are also used medicinally (Bonta and colleagues, 2019). The 2008 description is more cautious: the plant is only “thought to be poisonous”, like the Zamia that share the name “camotillo”, and a fairly extensive survey of central and northern Honduras found no local use among mestizo or indigenous people. No chemical analysis of the species has been published.

The risk is documented in other cycads: their seeds and leaves contain toxic glycosides (cycasin, macrozamin), from which methylazoxymethanol is derived, a compound harmful to the liver and nervous system. Dogs, livestock and people can be seriously poisoned. Treat the plant as poisonous, keep seeds and leaves out of reach of children and animals, and if any part is swallowed, call a poison centre, a doctor or a vet straight away.

Traditional uses

The 2022 monograph records two uses in Honduras: a poison prepared from the stems, and a medicinal use of processed stems reported by the ethnobotanical study of Bonta and colleagues (2019). They are mentioned here for their ethnobotanical interest and are in no way advice. The 2008 description, by contrast, found no local use, only illegal export as an ornamental.

Frequently asked questions

Does it grow anywhere other than Honduras?

No. It is endemic to the department of Atlántida, in Honduras, and is the only Ceratozamia known from the country.

What does “camotillo” mean?

It is the local name of the species in Atlántida. It is also given to other cycads of Central America, including the coastal Zamia of Honduras, and is associated with their use as a poison, so it is not specific to this species.

How does it differ from Ceratozamia euryphyllidia?

By the leaflets and cones. Ceratozamia hondurensis has leaflets with an entire margin and a symmetrical tip, and a female cone with a short point; Ceratozamia euryphyllidia has leaflets with a wavy, asymmetrical tip and a female cone with a long point.

Is it cold-hardy?

No. No cold data exist, and it is a lowland tropical rainforest plant; grow it frost-free, in a warm glasshouse outside the tropics.

Is it poisonous?

Yes, it should be treated as dangerous. Its stems are reportedly used locally to prepare a poison, and all cycads studied contain toxins that harm the liver and nervous system.

Is it endangered?

Yes. It is assessed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN (2022): its range is tiny, its populations are small and wild plants have been seized by Honduran customs.

Can it be bought freely?

Not without documents. Like the whole genus, it is listed in CITES Appendix I and Annex A of the EU regulation, seeds included.

Sources

Reference sites

The World List of Cycads (version 2026.08.15), Ceratozamia hondurensis: https://cycadlist.org/scientific_name/25 — authors, publication, type, range, IUCN status, etymology. Checklist of the IUCN Cycad Specialist Group, reliable; reread on 30 October 2026.
World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew), via GBIF, Ceratozamia hondurensis: https://api.gbif.org/v1/species/207874440 — accepted name, Cycad Newsletter 31(2–3): 18 (2008), Honduras. Kew data, the basis of POWO, distributed by GBIF; consulted on 30 October 2026.
PubMed Central, monograph of Ceratozamia (PhytoKeys 208): https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9849018/ — description, lectotypification, range, common name, uses, customs seizures. Peer-reviewed article, open access.
The Cycad Society, copy of the original description: https://www.cycad.org/documents/descriptions/Ceratozamia/Ceratozamia-hondurensis.pdf — description, type, history, habitat, soils, climate, populations, vernacular name, threats, proposed status. Specialist society, faithful copy of the primary source; reread on 30 October 2026.
Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, Ethnobotany of Mexican and northern Central American cycads (Zamiaceae) (2019): https://doi.org/10.1186/s13002-018-0282-z — the name “camotillo” and its link with the use of cycads as poison. Peer-reviewed article, open access.
Species+ (UNEP-WCMC), Ceratozamia hondurensis: https://speciesplus.net/species#/taxon_concepts/65508/legal — CITES Appendix I for the whole genus since 1 August 1985, Annex A in the European Union. Official CITES and EU database; checked on 30 October 2026.
BGCI PlantSearch: https://plantsearch.bgci.org/ — three American gardens declare the species. Global database of garden lists; queried on 30 October 2026.
Montgomery Botanical Center, living collection: https://www.montgomerybotanical.org/research/living-collection/ — 9 accessions of the species in its BG-BASE catalogue. Specialist cycad garden; catalogue queried on 30 October 2026.

Bibliography

Haynes, J.L., Whitelock, L.M., Schutzman, B. & Adams, R.S. (2008). A New Endemic Ceratozamia from Honduras (Cycadales: Zamiaceae). The Cycad Newsletter 31(2–3): 16–21. [Original description. Primary source.]
Martínez-Domínguez, L., Nicolalde-Morejón, F., Vergara-Silva, F. & Stevenson, D.W. (2022). Monograph of Ceratozamia (Zamiaceae, Cycadales): an endangered genus. PhytoKeys 208: 1–102. https://doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.208.80382 [Description, typification, uses; open access.]
Bonta, M., Pulido-Silva, M.T., Diego-Vargas, T., Vite-Reyes, A., Vovides, A.P. & Cibrián-Jaramillo, A. (2019). Ethnobotany of Mexican and northern Central American cycads (Zamiaceae). Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine 15: 4. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13002-018-0282-z [Local names and uses; open access.]
Bösenberg, J.D. & Haynes, J. (2022). Ceratozamia hondurensis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2022: e.T187828A1828192. https://doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2022-1.RLTS.T187828A1828192.en [Red List assessment; category confirmed by GBIF.]
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.]