Not everything in the greenhouse is ‘pretty’!

Although I shot some “pretty” flowers in the greenhouse today, I touched one of these leaves. Very, very dry and very, very “not-leafy”! Its common name came as no surprise: “Cardboard palm” (though “Stegosaurus palm” occurred to me!).

Although not a palm, Zamia furfuracea (family Zamiaceae) apparently has a growth habit that is sufficiently similar to that of palm trees (family Arecaceae) that it has several common names with “palm.”

Some of these plants have been commercially exploited in the U.S. and appear on the USDA’s threatened and endangered list for Florida, http://plants.usda.gov/java/threat?statelist=states&stateSelect=US12

Species page at PhytoImages, http://phytoimages.siu.edu/cgi-bin/dol/dol_terminal.pl?taxon_name=Zamia_furfuracea&rank=binomial

Photo taken at the SIUC Plant Biology Greenhouse, http://www.plantbiology.siu.edu/facilities/plant-biology-facilities/greenhouse/index.php

One year ago (“Winter drear”): http://365project.org/rhoing/365/2012-01-11
Two years ago (“Not exactly the eyes of Texas upon me…”): http://365project.org/rhoing/365/2011-01-11

[Rick Schies]

The texture looks quite rough

[MaryBeth Dailey]

They probably were cut down and used for cardboard! Hee hee. I crack myself up. But sad for the plant!