Dioon edule

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Figure 1. D. edule female cone.

Synonymy:

Numerous (see The Cycad Pages below)

Common Names:

Virgin Palm,
Palma de la Virgen,
Mexican Cycad,
Chestnut Dioon

Distribution:

Sierra Madre Oriental Mountains, Mexico.

Distribution & Habitat:

Deciduous and oak forest, between sea-level, and 1500m.

Description:

A medium sized cycad to about 3m tall, with stiff, obliquely erect leaves up to 1.4m long. Leaflets can be hairy, or glaucous.

General:

There is a variety, D. edule var angustifolium, which is often regarded as a more attractive garden plant.

Culture:

Sunny, well drained position in sub-tropical or temperate areas. Frost tolerant.

Figure 2. D. edule at Naples Botanic Garden

Figure 3. D. edule at Mt Cootha Botanic Gardens, Brisbane.

Figure 4. D. edule

Contributed by:

Willie Tang (Figure 1)
Angelo Porcelli (Figure 2),
Mike Gray (Figure 3&4).

External Links:

Cycad Pages, IUCN, JSTOR, Trebrown

Google, GoogleImages, Flickr,