Editing Macrozamia stenomera (section)

===Multi-Divided Pinnae: ===
In contrast to ''M. diplomera'',
''M. heteromera'' and ''M. glaucophylla'', which have pinnae that normally divide once or twice
(or sometimes three times) after the initial bifurcation, ''M. stenomera'' has much narrower pinnae
that normally divide multiple times, except towards the tip of the frond when the last few pinnae are
usually entire. The maximum number of sub-leaflets that we have seen on a pinna is thirteen.
The multi-divided pinnae give the fronds of ''M. stenomera'' a very bushy look and
make it extremely difficult to be able to clearly distinguish the pinnae detail,
even in habitat conditions, unless a thorough close-up examination of the frond structure is undertaken.

Furthermore, because of the bushy effect of the multi-divided pinnae it is virtually impossible
to capture details of the frond characteristics in a photograph of a plant to overcome this problem,
we have photographed a number of individual pinna and a frond with only every sixth set of
pinnae left intact on the rhachis. The effect is to give a clear impression of
the pinnae detail to a person who may not have seen ''M. stenomera'' in the wild.
The frond/pinnae characteristics on ''M. stenomera'' are very complex (and very hard to
describe). A short stem extends from the rachis at an angle of approximately 70 degrees.
The stem is twisted at the base so that the pinnae face upwards towards the apex of the
frond. The stem then divides into two main "arms" (roughly in the shape of a V).
A variable number of further divisions then occurs, ultimately producing somewhere between 4 and 13 sub-leaflets.
As a consequence, the sub-leaflets are densely crowded and overlap each other and
accentuate the bushy look of the multi-divided pinnae.
The division of the pinnae is also evident in seedlings and juvenile plants though the
divisions are not as numerous.