Ceratozamia aurantiaca (Presa Alemán), a Cycad of Oaxaca

Ceratozamia aurantiaca is a large cycad of northern Oaxaca, in southern Mexico, that grows on limestone rocks in the tropical forests of the Sierra Norte, between 200 and 800 m (about 650 to 2,600 ft). This species of the genus Ceratozamia owes its name to the unique colour of its young leaves, which emerge brown, turn bright orange and then green. It had been grown for decades in Florida as Ceratozamia sp. “Presa Alemán” before being described in 2021. The same year it was also described as Ceratozamia martinezii, a name now treated as a synonym.

Key facts about Ceratozamia aurantiaca

Accepted name: Ceratozamia aurantiaca Pérez-Farr., Gut.Ortega, J.L.Haynes & Vovides (2021), accepted by The World List of Cycads (version 2026.08.15), by the 2022 monograph of the genus and by the World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP, the database behind POWO, read via GBIF)
Former names and synonyms: Ceratozamia martinezii Mart.-Domínguez, Nic.-Mor. & D.W.Stev. (2021); horticultural name Ceratozamia sp. “Presa Alemán”; populations previously identified as Ceratozamia robusta or Ceratozamia mexicana
Family: Zamiaceae, order Cycadales
Common names: none recorded; known in the American nursery trade as “Presa Alemán”
Natural range: Mexico, northern Oaxaca (Sierra Norte: San Pedro Teutila, San Bartolomé Ayautla and nearby), tropical forest on karst, 200 to 800 m
IUCN status: Not Evaluated (NE); Endangered (EN) proposed by the authors of the description and by those of the 2022 monograph
CITES and other protection: CITES Appendix I (whole genus, since 1985); Annex A in the European Union
Documented hardiness: no measured value (see Cold hardiness)
Light and soil: in the wild, tropical forest on limestone rocks or pine-oak forest
Habit and adult size: upright trunk, sometimes decumbent with age, 0.2 to 1.5 m (up to 2.5 m according to the monograph); leaves 1.17 to 2.57 m long
In the UK, US and Australia: Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden (Florida); James Cook University, Townsville (BGCI)
Toxicity: no data specific to the species; treat it as poisonous, like all cycads (see Toxicity and precautions)

How to recognise Ceratozamia aurantiaca

The best clue is the colour of the young leaves: they emerge reddish brown, quickly turn bright orange and then become green. No other species of the genus has this colour, which persists in cultivation: a plant grown for nearly thirty years at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, in Florida, still produces it. The original description (Pérez-Farrera and colleagues, 2021) gives the following measurements:

Trunk: cylindrical, upright, sometimes decumbent with age, unbranched, 20 to 150 cm tall and 10 to 15 cm across; the plant grows on rocks.
Leaves: 10 to 27 per crown (15 on average), upright and then arching, 1.17 to 2.57 m long and 53 to 77 cm wide; petiole 31 to 73 cm, densely armed with thick prickles; rachis 85 to 187 cm.
Leaflets: 19 to 31 pairs, leathery, linear to slightly sickle-shaped, sometimes S-shaped; median leaflets 21 to 38 cm by 3.4 to 4.7 cm, 2.4 to 4.7 cm apart.
Male cones: cylindrical, upright, 34 to 36 cm by 4 to 6 cm, light orange and woolly when they emerge.
Female cones: cylindrical, upright, 39 to 42 cm by about 10.5 cm, light orange mottled with green, with a mucronate tip.
Seeds: ovoid, with cream flesh turning orange-brown, about 2.3 to 2.7 cm.

The 2022 monograph, which includes the plants described as Ceratozamia martinezii, widens these ranges: trunk up to 2.5 m, 7 to 30 leaves (up to 50), 12 to 38 pairs of oblong leaflets, and female cones only 11 to 36 cm long. It also describes the leaflets as papery, whereas the original description calls them leathery: the two sources disagree on this point.

Hybrids

No natural or garden hybrid has been documented.

Possible confusion

Ceratozamia aurantiaca belongs to the Ceratozamia robusta complex, a group of large species with stout trunks and very prickly petioles:

Ceratozamia robusta has reddish-brown young leaves, a trunk that always stays upright, papery leaflets and an acuminate female cone; its petioles are longer and its leaflets narrower and more crowded;
Ceratozamia subroseophylla, from Los Tuxtlas, has yellowish-brown young leaves, much longer petioles and more leaflets;
Ceratozamia dominguezii, from Uxpanapa, has caramel-coloured young leaves and papery leaflets;
Ceratozamia whitelockiana, a geographical neighbour, has green young leaves; the 2022 monograph nevertheless considers it the closest species.

An adult plant without a new flush can be hard to identify; the orange colour of the new leaves remains the safest character.

Taxonomy

Ceratozamia aurantiaca is a recent species, described in 2021, and its history explains its two names. The WCVP accepts it, records its publication in Taxonomy 1, page 249, and lists Ceratozamia martinezii as a synonym.

In the 1970s, a Ceratozamia population was discovered near the Miguel Alemán hydroelectric dam, in the Sierra Norte of Oaxaca. Herbarium specimens placed it in turn under Ceratozamia mexicana, Ceratozamia mexicana var. robusta or Ceratozamia robusta. Plants collected at that time were introduced into cultivation in the United States, almost entirely in Florida, under the informal name “Presa Alemán”. The original locality was later flooded by the reservoir, and the taxon was thought lost until new populations were found nearby.

In August 2021, Miguel Angel Pérez-Farrera, José Said Gutiérrez-Ortega, Jody Haynes, Andrew Vovides and their co-authors described it in the journal Taxonomy, after comparing sixteen plants from San Pedro Teutila with the type populations of Ceratozamia robusta and Ceratozamia subroseophylla. In November 2021, Lilí Martínez-Domínguez and her co-authors described the same plant in the Nordic Journal of Botany as Ceratozamia martinezii, from a female plant collected in 2020 at El Faro, in the same municipality. The name aurantiaca, published first, has priority; the 2022 monograph and The World List of Cycads treat Ceratozamia martinezii as a synonym, and Haynes (2023) confirmed this.

Etymology and history

The epithet comes from the Latin aurantiacus, “orange”, and refers to the colour of the young leaves (Haynes, 2022, followed by The World List of Cycads). The type specimen, a female plant, was collected on 30 May 2021 at San Pedro Teutila, in the Sierra Norte of Oaxaca, by Miguel Angel Pérez-Farrera and Pedro Díaz-Jiménez (number 4014); the holotype is kept in the HEM herbarium, with an isotype at XAL. The authors dedicated the species to two late friends: George Sparkman, a horticulturist devoted to cycads, and John Rees, a geographer and pioneer of the study of Mexican cycads.

Common names

No vernacular name is known, in English or in Spanish; the 2022 monograph records none. In the American horticultural trade the species long circulated under the label “Presa Alemán” or “Presa Aleman”.

In the wild

Ceratozamia aurantiaca lives in northern Oaxaca, south of the Río Santo Domingo, in the municipalities of San Pedro Teutila and San Bartolomé Ayautla; herbarium specimens also come from Santa María Tlalixtac, Chiquihuitlán de Benito Juárez and San Felipe Jalapa de Díaz. It grows on limestone rocks, in evergreen tropical forest or pine-oak forest, between 200 and 800 m according to the description and between 458 and 800 m according to the monograph.

The authors link these moist forests to the floristic refuges where tropical vegetation is thought to have persisted through past climatic changes, now separated by dry valleys or mountains. Three populations are known: the description estimates about 50 adults at San Bartolomé Ayautla and nearly 200 at San Pedro Teutila; the monograph counts 100 to 300 adults in each population visited, with seedlings and young plants.

Conservation status and regulation

Ceratozamia aurantiaca has not yet been assessed by the IUCN (The World List of Cycads, version 2026.08.15; the IUCN data relayed by GBIF also give Not Evaluated), but both teams that studied it consider it Endangered.

The authors of the description propose the category Endangered (EN, criteria A2ce+4c; C1) and category P (“in danger of extinction”) of the Mexican standard NOM-059, because of its very small range and of burning and clearing for cattle ranching. The 2022 monograph also proposes Endangered: one of the populations burned in 2018, and none lies in a protected area.

Like the whole genus, the species has been listed in CITES Appendix I since 1 August 1985, and in 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). Species+ does not yet name it, but the listing covers the whole genus, seeds included (checked on 30 October 2026). Plants grown as “Presa Alemán” are no exception: buying and selling them requires 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 aurantiaca

Ceratozamia aurantiaca is one of the few recently described Ceratozamia already in cultivation, thanks to the “Presa Alemán” plants introduced into Florida. Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden has grown it for nearly thirty years, and the original description shows male and female cones produced there. No growing guide from a garden or institution has been published. In its habitat the plant lives under a forest canopy, on free-draining limestone rocks, in a humid tropical climate: partial shade, a very free-draining compost and regular but moderate watering are the closest conditions, as a guide only.

Outdoor and in-ground cultivation

No outdoor planting has been explicitly documented: the plants at Fairchild, in South Florida, produce cones, but the sources do not say whether they grow in the open or under cover. In frost-free gardens, a lightly shaded, sheltered spot in very free-draining soil would follow its habitat; this is inferred, not tested.

Container cultivation

No container-growing report has been published by an institution. With leaves up to 2.5 m long, adult plants need a large tub; young plants are easier to keep in a pot under glass, frost-free in winter, in a coarse, free-draining compost and bright shade.

In cultivation in the UK, US and Australia

In the United States, Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden (Coral Gables, Florida) lists Ceratozamia aurantiaca in its online Garden Explorer (updated 16 October 2026), and the 2021 description illustrates cones produced there. In Australia, James Cook University in Townsville (Queensland) declares the species to BGCI PlantSearch, the only garden to do so (checked on 30 October 2026). No British garden declares it, and Montgomery Botanical Center has no entry under this name in its online catalogue; plants grown in other collections under the label “Presa Alemán” may belong to it.

Propagation

Sowing is the only method documented in practice for the genus; no data specific to the species have been published. Seed from cultivated “Presa Alemán” plants has circulated among private growers (see Cold hardiness).

Pests and diseases

No pest or disease has been documented for this species.

Cold hardiness

No cold-tolerance value has been published for Ceratozamia aurantiaca. Its lowland habitat, in a humid tropical climate, does not suggest any particular tolerance of frost.

Mediterranean and European experience

No outdoor cultivation has been reported in France or Italy. A grower who gives Belley (Ain) and Montpellier (Hérault, southern France) as his locations showed on the Fous de palmiers forum, in February 2014, a young potted seedling of Ceratozamia sp. “Presa Aleman”, with no information on cold. At the Jardin zoologique tropical in La Londe-les-Maures (Var, on the French Riviera), no observation of it has been published. For readers in Mediterranean-type climates such as California or southern Australia, it is safest kept frost-free.

United Kingdom, United States and Australia

No cold record and no commercial hardiness rating have been published. Its cultivation is documented only in South Florida and in Townsville, in tropical Queensland; in the UK it would need a heated glasshouse.

Toxicity and precautions

No toxicity data exist for Ceratozamia aurantiaca or for the genus, but the cycads studied contain serious toxins: toxic glycosides (cycasin, macrozamin), from which methylazoxymethanol is derived, a compound harmful to the liver and nervous system. These substances are concentrated mainly in the seeds. Treat the plant as poisonous: keep seeds out of reach of children and animals, wear gloves to handle them, and call a poison centre, a doctor or a vet immediately if any part is swallowed.

Traditional uses

According to the 2022 monograph, local people use the leaves to make wreaths and floral arrangements. No other use is documented.

Frequently asked questions

Why are the young leaves orange?

It is a character of the species. The leaves emerge brown, turn bright orange and then green. The colour persists in cultivation, which shows that it is genetic rather than caused by the environment.

Are “Presa Alemán” and Ceratozamia aurantiaca the same plant?

Yes. “Presa Alemán” is the informal name given in cultivation to plants collected near the Miguel Alemán dam in the 1970s; the 2021 description refers them to Ceratozamia aurantiaca.

What is the difference from Ceratozamia martinezii?

None: it is the same species, described twice in 2021 by two teams. Ceratozamia aurantiaca was published first and has priority; Ceratozamia martinezii is a synonym.

How does it differ from Ceratozamia robusta?

Mainly in the colour of the young leaves, orange instead of reddish brown. Ceratozamia aurantiaca also has shorter petioles, broader and more widely spaced leaflets, and a mucronate female cone.

Is it frost-hardy?

Nobody knows. No cold-tolerance value has been published. It is a lowland tropical forest species, best kept frost-free.

Is it endangered?

Yes. The IUCN has not yet assessed it, but both its describers and the authors of the monograph propose Endangered: only three populations are known, affected by burning and cattle ranching.

Sources

Reference sites

The World List of Cycads (version 2026.08.15), Ceratozamia aurantiaca: https://cycadlist.org/scientific_name/907 — authors, publication, type, range, IUCN status (NE), synonymy of Ceratozamia martinezii, 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 aurantiaca: https://api.gbif.org/v1/species/207874422 — accepted name, Taxonomy 1: 249 (2021), Ceratozamia martinezii as a synonym, south-western Mexico. Kew data, the basis of POWO, distributed by GBIF; consulted on 30 October 2026.
Species+ (UNEP-WCMC), Ceratozamia: https://speciesplus.net/species#/taxon_concepts/13147/legal — CITES Appendix I since 1 August 1985, Annex A in the European Union; the species is not yet named. Official CITES and EU database; queried on 30 October 2026.
PubMed Central, monograph of Ceratozamia (PhytoKeys 208): https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9849018/ — wider description, range, uses, proposed status. Peer-reviewed article, open access.
Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, Garden Explorer: https://fairchild.gardenexplorer.org/ — Ceratozamia aurantiaca in the living collection. Garden catalogue (updated 16 October 2026).
BGCI PlantSearch: https://plantsearch.bgci.org/ — one garden declaring the species (James Cook University, Townsville). Global database of garden lists; queried on 30 October 2026.
Fous de palmiers forum (France), thread from 2014 on the germination of Zamia seeds: https://www.fousdepalmiers.fr/html/forum/viewtopic.php?t=14274&start=105 — potted seedling of Ceratozamia sp. “Presa Aleman”, February 2014 (#p320547). Growers’ forum, a simple mention.

Bibliography

Pérez-Farrera, M.A., Gutiérrez-Ortega, J.S., Haynes, J.L., Chemnick, J., Salas-Morales, S.H., Calonje, M. & Vovides, A.P. (2021). Ceratozamia aurantiaca (Zamiaceae): a new cycad species from the northern rainforests of Oaxaca, Mexico. Taxonomy 1(3): 243–255. https://doi.org/10.3390/taxonomy1030018 [Original description, history of “Presa Alemán”, morphometrics, proposed status; open access. Primary source.]
Martínez-Domínguez, L., Nicolalde-Morejón, F., Vergara-Silva, F. & Stevenson, D.W. (2021). A new Mexican Ceratozamia (Zamiaceae) species with notes on reproductive phenology. Nordic Journal of Botany 2022(1): e03348. https://doi.org/10.1111/njb.03348 [Description of Ceratozamia martinezii, a synonym; abstract.]
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 [Wider circumscription, uses, proposed status; open access.]
Haynes, J.L. (2023). Critical review of “Monograph of Ceratozamia (Zamiaceae, Cycadales): an endangered genus” published in PhytoKeys 208: 1–102 (2022). Phytotaxa 612(2): 159–200. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.612.2.4 [Placement of Ceratozamia martinezii; abstract and The World List of Cycads.]
Haynes, J.L. (2022). Etymological compendium of cycad names. Phytotaxa 550(1): 1–31. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.550.1.1 [Etymology, as cited by The World List of Cycads.]
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.]