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Species library › Zamia › Zamia pygmaea
Other Partly documented

Zamia pygmaea

One of the smallest cycads, endemic to western Cuba and the Isla de la Juventud, growing in open sandy pine savanna and scrub. It needs strong light, heat and a very sharp, sandy mix; overwatering is the usual way it is lost.

Zamia pygmaea
Photo: John Sims (1749-1831), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
At home, aim for
Day Warm-growingTargets in Plantistry
Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry
Humidity Dry airBand in Plantistry
Light Bright, filtered lightDLI and PPFD in Plantistry
Expects a seasonal restGrows in the ground

Where it grows wild

Open white-sand and pine savanna and low scrub in the lowlands, where small plants sit among grasses with little overhead cover.

Lowland, recorded close to sea level up to roughly 70 m; few records carry elevations.

Cuba

🔒 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 Public domain licence, unmodified.