Zamia urep

Zamia urep is a small cycad of the Peruvian Amazon, known only from the western slope of the Serranía de El Sira and the neighbouring lowland, in the province of Pachitea (department of Huánuco), at 260 to 700 m. Described in 1996 by the Austrian botanist Bruno Wallnöfer, this species of the genus Zamia has only an underground stem and one to four leaves carrying four pairs of broad, toothed leaflets with strongly raised veins. The IUCN rates it Endangered. Contrary to some older lists, it does not grow in Venezuela: it is endemic to Peru.

Key facts about Zamia urep

  • Accepted name: Zamia urep B.Walln. (1996), 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: none attested, in English or in any other language
  • Natural range: Peru, department of Huánuco (province of Pachitea: Serranía de El Sira and the adjacent lowland), at 260 to 700 m
  • IUCN status: Endangered (EN), criterion B2ab(iii), assessment published in 2022
  • 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: in the wild, primary rainforest, mostly on stony slopes with thin soil; no growing advice published
  • Habit and adult size: plant 40 to 50 cm tall; underground stem about 10 cm long and 2.5 to 3 cm across; 1 or 2 (rarely 4) leaves 48 to 65 cm long
  • In the UK, US and Australia: no garden record
  • Toxicity: no data specific to the species; treat it as poisonous, like all cycads (see Toxicity and precautions)

How to recognise Zamia urep

Look for a small plant with very few leaves, each carrying only three or four pairs of large leaflets, and for the quilted surface of those leaflets: the veins, deeply sunken above and strongly raised beneath, make the blade bulge between them. Petiole and rachis never carry prickles. The description below follows the original publication (Wallnöfer, 1996):

  • Habit: a terrestrial plant 40 to 50 cm tall, with separate male and female plants.
  • Stem: underground, straight, oblong, about 10 cm long and 2.5 to 3 cm wide, tapering gradually into the main root, brown outside and light brown inside, with a little clear, rubbery sap; cataphylls 1 to 3.5 cm long, covered in whitish to brown ribbon-like hairs.
  • Leaves: 1 or 2 (rarely up to 4), arching, 48 to 65 cm long, ending in a small hairy point. The petiole, 24 to 38 cm long (sometimes 49 cm), and the rachis, 9 to 12 cm long (sometimes 15 cm), are spineless; the petiole is greenish brown to brown.
  • Leaflets: leathery, opposite or nearly so, in 4 pairs (sometimes 3), broadly lanceolate to elliptic, often asymmetric, 11 to 20 cm long and 3 to 6 cm wide, with a long drawn-out tip. The margin carries 8 to 19 sharp teeth 0.5 to 1 mm long on each side, except near the base. Across the middle of the leaflet there are 19 to 23 veins, deeply impressed above and strongly raised beneath; the blade, dark green and slightly glossy above, is puckered between the veins.
  • Male cones: one, rarely two, per plant, upright, light brown, cylindrical, 3.5 to 4.5 cm long (sometimes 6 cm) and 6 to 8 mm across, on a brown peduncle 18 to 22 cm long.
  • Female cones: upright, light brown, 3.5 to 4.7 cm long and 1.5 to 2.3 cm across, ending in a conical sterile tip 0.7 to 1 cm long, on a peduncle 13 to 16 cm long. Ripe seeds were unknown when the species was described.

A comparative table published in 2026 adds: brown new leaves, 18 to 29 teeth on the median leaflets, teeth reaching into the lower half of the leaflet, no raised lengthwise crease on the upper surface, and 9 to 10 pollen sacs per male scale (Calonje and colleagues, 2026).

Hybrids

No hybrid is known.

Possible confusion

Within its range, Zamia urep is hardly mistaken for any other Zamia. Its author compared it with Zamia ulei, of Amazonia, and, more distantly, with Zamia cunaria and Zamia dressleri from Panama; all these species are larger, have petioles armed with prickles and cones on short peduncles (Wallnöfer, 1996). Since then it has rather been grouped, on its reproductive organs, with a small set of slender-stemmed Amazonian species (Segalla and colleagues, 2023, cited by Calonje and colleagues, 2026), from which its underground stem readily separates it:

  • Zamia hymenophyllidia (Colombia, Peru): above-ground stem, 3 to 15 leaves, membranous leaflets with 0 to 11 teeth confined to the upper half;
  • Zamia multidentata (Brazil, Peru): above-ground stem, 8 to 14 leaves, leaflets 18 to 22 cm long with 30 to 49 teeth and weakly raised veins;
  • Zamia urarinorum (Peru, Loreto): above-ground stem, 2 to 6 leaves, leaflets up to 45.6 cm long, flooded forests;
  • Zamia urep: underground stem, 1 to 4 leaves, leaflets 11 to 20 cm long with strongly raised veins, brown new leaves (Calonje and colleagues, 2026).

Taxonomy

Zamia urep is accepted by The World List of Cycads and GBIF; POWO could not be consulted directly. The species has no synonyms. It was described in 1996 by Bruno Wallnöfer, of the Natural History Museum in Vienna, in the Linzer biologische Beiträge (volume 28, page 1056), in a paper on new or noteworthy plants from Peru.

At the time only two or three Zamia were known from Peru: Zamia poeppigiana and Zamia obliqua according to Sabato (1990), Zamia poeppigiana and Zamia ulei according to the world list of Stevenson and Hill (1995). Wallnöfer considered his plant close to Zamia ulei. Recent work places it near Zamia hymenophyllidia, Zamia multidentata and Zamia urarinorum, on similarities in the reproductive organs. These species live in widely separated parts of the upper Amazon basin (Calonje and colleagues, 2026).

Etymology and history

The epithet urep has no known meaning. According to Whitelock (2002), Bruno Wallnöfer himself said that it meant nothing; most specialists see it simply as an anagram of “Peru”, the country to which the species is endemic (Jones, 2002; Whitelock, 2002; Hill and Stevenson, 2012, cited by Haynes, 2022 and The World List of Cycads). The original description gives no etymology.

The holotype, a male plant, was collected on 15 July 1988 by Bruno Wallnöfer, at 660 m, on the ridge linking “Campamento Oro” and “Campamento Sira”, 20 to 24 km south-east of Puerto Inca, in primary montane rainforest (number 112-15788, herbarium of the Natural History Museum in Vienna, W; duplicates in Linz and at San Marcos University in Lima). The other specimens cited come from the Panguana biological station, at the confluence of the Pachitea and Yuyapichis rivers, at 260 m, in primary lowland forest; female plants were collected there by Christian Listabarth in May 1989 and February 1993. Anders Lindström collected the species again in the province of Pachitea in February 2002, at 275 to 335 m (Calonje and colleagues, 2026, appendix).

Common names

No common name is attested for this species, in English or in Spanish, and the British nursery Trebrown knows of none.

In the wild

Zamia urep is endemic to Peru. All known collections come from the province of Pachitea, in the department of Huánuco: from the western slope of the Serranía de El Sira and the lowland at its foot, at 260 to 700 m. The range given by The World List of Cycads is limited to Huánuco; the mention of Venezuela found in some older lists is mistaken.

According to its author, the species is fairly frequent on certain slopes, often stony, covered with a more or less thin layer of soil. Where the soil is deeper, as at Panguana, it is rarer, but the plants are more robust. Only a few plants are fertile at the same time, and female plants are very rare (Wallnöfer, 1996). The pollinator is not known. No climate data specific to the species have been published.

Conservation status and regulation

Zamia urep is rated Endangered (EN) on the IUCN Red List under criterion B2ab(iii), which reflects a very small area of occupancy and a decline in habitat quality (assessment by C. López-Gallego, published in 2022, according to The World List of Cycads; category confirmed by GBIF; the Red List page could not be consulted). An earlier assessment, by D.W. Stevenson, was published in 2010. On the French forum Fous de palmiers, a French-speaking enthusiast who had hoped to see the species on a trip to Peru in 2012 reported in January 2013 having been unable to go, for lack of a permit to enter the reserve where it grows.

Like all Zamia except Zamia restrepoi, which is in Appendix I, Zamia urep falls under CITES Appendix II, where the genus has been listed since 4 February 1977. The listing carries annotation #4 (version adopted at CoP20, in force on 5 March 2026): seeds, pollen, seedlings and tissue cultures obtained in vitro and transported in sterile containers, and cut flowers of artificially propagated plants, are not covered by CITES. International trade in the plants themselves, on the other hand, requires an export permit. In the European Union the species is listed in Annex B of Regulation (EC) No 338/97, whose annexes are now set by Regulation (EU) 2026/1383, applicable since 29 June 2026. Species+ names the species under the listing of the genus (checked on 3 October 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 cultivated seed.

Growing Zamia urep

No growing advice specific to Zamia urep has been published, and no grower’s report is documented: the species appears to be absent from public collections. On the Fous de palmiers forum it was described as “very rare” (2012–2013), without further detail.

Its habitat gives a few pointers: lowland and lower montane rainforest, understorey, thin and stony soil, and therefore very free-draining. A warm, humid glasshouse, a very free-draining mineral compost and filtered light would be the most consistent approach; this has not been validated by published trials.

In cultivation in the UK, US and Australia

No garden record exists. BGCI has no entry for the species, and the online catalogue of Montgomery Botanical Center (Coral Gables, Florida), which holds most of the cycad species in cultivation in the United States, has none either (both queried on 25 October 2026). The British nursery Trebrown has a page for the species, with a USDA zone 9b rating, but this does not show that plants are available or grown in Britain.

Propagation

No data specific to the species. Like all Zamia, it has separate male and female plants and would be propagated from fresh seed. As female plants are very rare in the wild, seed production is probably low; collecting in the wild cannot be justified.

Pests and diseases

No pest or disease specific to the species has been documented. In cultivation, Zamia chiefly fear rot in cold, sodden compost, and scale insects.

Cold hardiness

There are no cold-tolerance data for Zamia urep. It lives in Amazonian rainforest, without a cold season; nothing suggests that it can withstand frost.

Mediterranean and European experience

No cultivation result has been published in France or Italy, outdoors or in a pot, and no dated frost episode concerns this species. The Jardin zoologique tropical in La Londe-les-Maures, in the Var (southern France), has no observation of it; its only pointer for the genus, a Zamia integrifolia from Florida that survived −7 °C (19.4 °F) in February 2012 with foliage damage, cannot be transferred to an Amazonian rainforest species. Only heated glasshouse culture is conceivable.

United Kingdom, United States and Australia

No cold record has been published. Trebrown’s USDA zone 9b is a commercial rating, not a measured result, and sits badly with a species from frost-free rainforest. In the UK it would need a heated glasshouse; outdoors, only humid, frost-free tropical gardens would match its habitat. This is a deduction, not a tested result.

Toxicity and precautions

No toxicity study specific to Zamia urep 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 the ASPCA cites for Zamia furfuracea 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 use is documented for this species.

Frequently asked questions

What does the name urep mean?

Nothing, officially. Its author said that the epithet had no meaning; most specialists see it as an anagram of “Peru”, the country where the species grows.

Where does it grow?

Only in Peru, in the province of Pachitea (Huánuco), on the western slope of the Serranía de El Sira and in the neighbouring lowland, at 260 to 700 m. It does not grow in Venezuela, contrary to some older lists.

How can I recognise it?

By its small size and its leaflets. The plant barely exceeds 50 cm, has only one to four spineless leaves, and each leaf carries three or four pairs of broad, toothed leaflets, with a blade quilted by strongly raised veins.

Is it endangered?

Yes. The IUCN rates it Endangered, because of a very small range and a deteriorating habitat. Female plants are rare in the wild.

Is it hardy?

Almost certainly not. No cold data exist, and it lives in Amazonian forest without a cold season; it needs a heated glasshouse.

Can I buy one?

In practice, no. The species appears to be absent from collections. It is listed in CITES Appendix II; any plant offered for sale should have a documented origin.

Is it poisonous?

It must be assumed so. No analysis concerns the species, but the cycads studied contain serious toxins, especially in the seeds.

Further reading on Succulentes

Sources

Reference sites

Bibliography

  • Wallnöfer, B. (1996). New or noteworthy species of Aegiphila, Styrax and Zamia from Peru. Linzer biologische Beiträge 28(2): 1053–1060. [Original description; full text read.]
  • Calonje, M., Zárate-Gómez, R., Jones, M.A., Segalla, R., Martín Brañas, M., Hidalgo Pizango, C.G. & Roca Alcázar, F. (2026). Zamia urarinorum (Cycadales, Zamiaceae), a new cycad species from wetland forests of Loreto, Peru. Phytotaxa 741(1): 1–17. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.741.1.1 [Comparison and specimens; full text read.]
  • Segalla, R., Soares-Pimenta, R. & Calonje, M. (2023). Zamia multidentata (Cycadales, Zamiaceae), a new arborescent species of Zamia from Acre, Brazil. Phytotaxa 598(1): 21–31. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.598.1.2 [Grouping of Zamia urep with the slender-stemmed Amazonian species; cited by Calonje et al. (2026).]
  • López-Gallego, C. (2022). Zamia urep. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2022: e.T42119A69835903. https://doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2022-1.RLTS.T42119A69835903.en [Current assessment; reference checked on Crossref, category confirmed by GBIF; the Red List page could not be consulted.]
  • Stevenson, D.W. (2010). Zamia urep. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2010: e.T42119A10654300. https://doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-3.RLTS.T42119A10654300.en [Earlier assessment; reference checked on Crossref; category not verified.]
  • Whitelock, L.M. (2002). The Cycads. Timber Press, Portland. [Etymology; cited by The World List of Cycads; 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.]