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Species library › Dioon › Dioon spinulosum
Other Well documented

Dioon spinulosum

The giant dioon, one of the tallest cycads, from limestone hills in the lowland rainforest of Veracruz and Oaxaca. Young plants grow in the forest understory and adults can emerge above the canopy, so it takes part shade to full sun, warm humid summers and a somewhat drier spring. It is slow, tolerates poor limestone soils, and needs sharp drainage.

Dioon spinulosum
Photo: erickaceae_98, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
At home, aim for
Day Warm-growingTargets in Plantistry
Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry
Humidity Ordinary room humidityBand in Plantistry
Light Bright, filtered lightDLI and PPFD in Plantistry
Expects a seasonal restGrows in the ground

Where it grows wild

Limestone cliffs, hills and rocky slopes in tropical evergreen rainforest at the foot of the Sierra Madre Oriental; mostly part of the understory, with a few individuals emerging from the canopy.

Literature gives 30–300 m; records span 24–1531 m (median 152 m), and the higher records are doubtful.

Mexico (Veracruz)Mexico (Oaxaca)

🔒 Growing it like that

The wild conditions above, turned into targets for a shelf, a tent or a greenhouse. The full profile has:

✓ Day and night temperature targets, and the limits it tolerates
✓ Humidity band, and how to hold it
✓ Light as DLI and PPFD for a grow light
✓ Wet and dry seasons, and whether to rest it
✓ Substrate and airflow
✓ A step-by-step setup to grow it like the wild

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Profiles are drafts built from measured range and climate and from published sources; each section carries its own confidence in the app. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, used under its CC BY 4.0 licence, unmodified.