Cone on a plant in its native habitat at Tamborine National Park, Queensland [C.J. Earle, 11-Mar-1996]. L. peroffskyana produces one of the largest of all cycad cones, rivaled only by Encephalartos transvenosus (1).
Range map for species of Lepidozamia (1).
Common Names
Taxonomic notes
Description
Range
Australia: roughly between Gympie, Queensland and Taree, New South Wales. Found in rainforest and wet sclerophyll forest, i.e., sites where fire is uncommon to rare. Elevations range from sea level to 1000 m. Soils are well-structured loams. Diurnal temperatures range from 19-32°C summer to 6-22°C winter. Rainfall, 1500 mm, is predominantly during the summer (1).Big Tree
Trunk to 7 m tall and 40 cm diameter. Cones may weigh 45 kg (1).Oldest
Dendrochronology
Ethnobotany
A popular ornamental (the type plant was found in the St. Petersburg Botanical Garden!) (1). Seeds are large and numerous, so aboriginal use for food seems likely.Observations
It grows "wild" (in a rather well-maintained context) in the Lepidozamia Grove, Tamborine National Park, south Queensland. Have also seen at the Sydney Botanical Garden.Remarks
Named for Count Peroffsky, benefactor of the St. Petersburg Botanical Garden (1).Citations
(1) Jones 1993.[Lepidozamia] [Zamiaceae] [home]
This page is from the Gymnosperm Database
URL: http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/Canopy/2285/za/le/peroffskyana.htm
Edited by Christopher J. Earle
E-mail:earlecj@earthlink.com
Last modified on 27-Jan-1999