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Species library › Zamia › Zamia pseudoparasitica
Other Well documented

Zamia pseudoparasitica

The only known obligately epiphytic gymnosperm: a short-stemmed cycad from Panama that perches on tree branches. Its leaves can exceed 3 m, and its roots can hang many metres to the ground. In cultivation it has done best in hanging baskets, with soft, slightly acidic water and a mix that never dries out completely.

Zamia pseudoparasitica
Photo: Steve Fitzgerald, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
At home, aim for
Day Warm-growingTargets in Plantistry
Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry
Humidity Humid airBand in Plantistry
Light Dappled lightDLI and PPFD in Plantistry
No rest periodGrows on trees (epiphyte)

Where it grows wild

Perches on branches in primary humid forest. It seems not to recolonise secondary forest.

Recorded from 34 to 950 m, with a median of 654 m. Most records come from foothill forest in Veraguas, Coclé and Chiriquí.

Panama

🔒 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-SA 4.0 licence, unmodified.