Zamia incognita

IUCN Red List Status

Endangered

In accordance with IUCN criteria, a species is considered to be Endangered if it is facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild.

Species data

Class

Cycadopsida

Order

Cycadales

Family

Zamiaceae

Scientific Name

Zamia incognita

Reserve locations

Colombia

Only recently discovered, Zamia incognita’s binomial name (and lack of a common name) reflects its obscure nature. A small, inconspicuous cycad, these plants are likely very rare, but have yet to be fully assessed.

Climate and Range

Zamia incognita is endemic to the Magdelana river valley. They are pollinated by insects, possibly beetles. Cycads do not produce flowers and so often are not often pollinated by bees, butterflies and other common pollinator species but by crawling insects like beetles.

Threats and Conservation

As a species with a restricted range, the main threat to this species is deforestation and loss of habitat within its small range. It does not have any commercial value and, as a small shrub, has no harvestable wood.