Zamia is a genus of cycads (non-flowering plants with seeds) found in the Neotropical Realm of the Americas. As of September 2026, there are about 90 species of Zamia recognized by major databases of plant species. A 2024 study analyzing transcriptomes from 77 species of Zamia found support for a phylogenetic tree of seven clades for the genus occupying different geographical ranges. Clade I includes species in the Caribbean islands and Florida. Clade II includes species in states along the Gulf Coast of central Mexico. Clade III, which is divided into the sub-clades III-A and III-B, includes species found in Mexico and northern Central America. Clade IV consists of a single species found in the Mexican state of Chiapas. Clade V includes species found in southern Central America. Clade VI includes species found in southernmost Panama and west of the Andes in South America. Clade VII consists of species found in northern Colombia and east of the Andes in South America.
Accepted species Almost all of the species in this table are accepted as valid in at least four of the following databases, including The World List of Cycads (WLC), the USDA-ARS Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), the Kew Gardens Plants of the World Online (Kew), the World Flora Online (WFO). and Tropicos. A few species accepted in only three of the five databases are noted individually. The second column lists the clade in which the species was placed in the 2024 study based on transcriptomes. The third column lists the countries, or in the cases of Brazil, Mexico, and the United States, the states, in which the species are found. The fourth column includes the vulnerability assessment published by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) for each species.
+ Species Clade Distribution IUCN status Zamia acuminata Oerst.ex Dyer V (Isthmus) Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama Vulnerable Zamia amazonum D.W.Stev. VII (East of Andes) Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela Least concern Zamia amplifolia Hort.Bull ex Mast. VI (West of Andes) Colombia Endangered Zamia angustifolia Jacq. I (Caribbean) Bahamas, Cuba Vulnerable Zamia boliviana (Brongn.) A.DC. VII (East of Andes) Bolivia, Brazil (Mato Grosso) Least concern Zamia brasiliensis Calonje & Segalla (unknown) Brazil (Mato Grosso, Rondônia) Not evaluated Zamia chigua Seem. VI (West of Andes) Colombia Near threatened Zamia cremnophila Vovides, Schutzman & Dehgan III-A (Mega Mexico) Mexico (Tabasco) Endangered Zamia cunaria Dressler & D.W.Stev. VI (West of Andes) Panama Endangered Zamia decumbens Calonje, Meerman, M.P. Griff. & Hoese III-B (Mega Mexico) Belize Endangered Zamia disodon D.W.Stev. & Sabato VII (Manicata) Colombia Endangered Zamia dressleri D.W.Stev. V (Isthmus) Panama Endangered Zamia elegantissima Schutzman, Vovides & R.S.Adams V (Isthmus) Panama Endangered Zamia encephalartoides D.W. Stev. VII (East of Andes) Colombia Endangered Zamia erosa O.F.Cook & G.N.Collins I (Caribbean) Cuba, Jamaica, Puerto Rico Vulnerable Zamia fairchildiana L.D.Gómez V (Isthmus) Panama, Costa Rica Near threatened Zamia fischeri Miq. ex Lem. II (Fischeri) Mexico (Hidalgo, San Luis Potosí, Querétaro, Tamaulipas, Veracruz) Endangered Zamia furfuracea L.f. III-A (Mega Mexico) Mexico (Veracruz) Endangered Zamia gentryi Dodson VI (West of Andes) Ecuador Endangered Zamia gomeziana R.H.Acuña (unknown) Costa Rica Near threatened Zamia grijalvensis Pérez-Farr., Vovides & Mart.-Camilo III-A (Mega Mexico) Mexico (Chiapas) Critically endangered Zamia hamannii A.S.Taylor, J.L.Haynes & Holzman V (Isthmus) Panama Vulnerable Zamia herrerae Calderón & Standl. III-A (Mega Mexico) Mexico (Chiapas), El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua Vulnerable Zamia huilensis Calonje, H.E.Esquivel & D.W.Stev. VII (East of Andes) Colombia Endangered Zamia hymenophyllidia D.W.Stev. VII (East of Andes) Colombia, Peru Least concern Zamia imbricata Calonje & J.Castro VII (Manicata) Colombia Not evaluated Zamia imperialis A.S.Taylor, J.L.Haynes & Holzman V (Isthmus) Panama Endangered Zamia incognita A.Lindstr. & Idárraga VII (East of Andes) Colombia Endangered Zamia inermis Vovides, J.D.Rees & Vázq.Torres II (Fischeri) Mexico (Veracruz) Critically endangered Zamia integrifolia L.f. I (Caribbean) Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Cuba, Puerto Rico, United States (Florida, Georgia [probably locally extinct]) Near threatened Zamia ipetiensis D.W.Stev. VI (West of Andes) Panama Endangered Zamia katzeriana (Regel) E.Rettig III-A (Mega Mexico) Mexico Critically endangered Zamia lacandona Schutzman & Vovides III-A (Mega Mexico) Mexico (Chiapas) Endangered Zamia lawsoniana Dye (unknown) Mexico (Chiapas, Oaxaca, Tabasco, Veracruz) Not evaluated Zamia lecointei Ducke VII (East of Andes) Brazil (Pará), Colombia, Peru, Venezuela Least concern Zamia lindenii Regel ex André VI (West of Andes) Ecuador, Peru Endangered Zamia lindleyi Warsz. ex A.Dietr. V (Isthmus) Panama Endangered Zamia lindosensis Stevenson, Cárdenas & Castaño (unknown) Colombia Not evaluated Zamia loddigesii Miq. III-A (Mega Mexico) Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico (Campeche, Chiapas, Veracruz, Puebla, Oaxaca, Hidalgo, Tabasco, Tamaulipas, Quintana Roo, Yucatán) Near threatened Zamia lucayana Britton I (Caribbean) Bahamas Critically endangered Zamia macrochiera D.W.Stev. VII (East of Andes) Peru Endangered Zamia magnifica Pérez-Farr., Gutt-Ortega & Calonje (unknown) Mexico (Oaxaca) Not evaluated Zamia manicata Linden ex Regel VII (Manicata) Colombia, Panama Near threatened Zamia meermanii Calonje III-A (Mega Mexico) Belize Endangered Zamia melanorrhachis D.W.Stev. VII (Manicata) Colombia Endangered Zamia montana A.Braun VI (West of Andes) Colombia Critically endangered Zamia monticola Chamb. III-B (Mega Mexico) Guatemala Critically endangered Zamia multidentata Calonje, Segalla & R.S.Pimenta (unknown) Brazil (Acre) Not evaluated Zamia muricata Willd. VII (East of Andes) Colombia, Venezuela Least concern Zamia nana A.Lindstr., Calonje, D.W.Stev. & A.S.Taylor V (Isthmus) Panama Endangered Zamia nesophila A.S.Taylor, J.L.Haynes & Holzman V (Isthmus) Panama Critically endangered Zamia neurophyllidia D.W.Stev. V (Isthmus) Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama Least concern Zamia obliqua A.Braun V (Isthmus) Colombia, Panama Least concern Zamia oligodonta E.Calderón & D.E.Stev. VI (West of Andes) Colombia Critically endangered Zamia onan-reyesii C.Nelson & Sandoval III-B (Mega Mexico) Honduras Endangered Zamia oreillyi C.Nelson III-B (Mega Mexico) Honduras Critically endangered Zamia orinoquiensis Calonje, Betancur & A.Linstr. VII (East of Andes) Colombia Not evaluated Zamia paucifoliolata Calonje VI (West of Andes) Colombia Not evaluated Zamia paucijuga Wieland III-A (Mega Mexico) Mexico (Guerrero, Jalisco, Colima, Michoacán, Nayarit, Oaxaca) Near threatened Zamia poeppigiana Mart. & Eichler VII (East of Andes) Bolivia, Brazil (Acre) Least concern Zamia portoricensis Urb. I (Caribbean) Puerto Rico Endangered Zamia prasina W.Bull III-A (Mega Mexico) Belize, Mexico (Tabasco, Yucatán) Least concern Zamia pseudomonticola L.D.Gómez V (Isthmus) Costa Rica, Panama Least concern Zamia pseudoparasitica Yates V (Isthmus) Panama Near threatened Zamia pumila L. I (Caribbean) Hispaniola (Dominican Republic), possibly Cuba; possibly locally extinct in Puerto Rico and Haiti Vulnerable Zamia purpurea Vovides, J.D.Rees & Vázq.Torres III-A (Mega Mexico) Mexico (Veracruz, Oaxaca) Critically endangered Zamia pygmaea Sims I (Caribbean) Cuba Endangered Zamia pyrophylla Calonje, D.W.Stev. & A.Lindstr. VI (West of Andes) Colombia Critically endangered Zamia restrepoi (D.W.Stev.) A.Lindstr. VII (Manicata) Colombia Critically endangered Zamia roezlii Regel ex Linden VI (West of Andes) Colombia, Ecuador Least concern Zamia sandovalii C.Nelson III-B (Mega Mexico) Honduras Endangered Zamia sinuensis Calonje & J.Castro VII (Manicata) Colombia Not evaluated Zamia skinneri Warsz. ex A.Dietr. V (Isthmus) Panama Endangered Zamia soconuscensis Schutzman, Vovides & Dehgan IV Mexico (Chiapas) Endangered Zamia spartea A.DC. in A.P.de Candolle III-A (Mega Mexico) Mexico (Oaxaca) Critically endangered Zamia splendens Schutzman III-A (Mega Mexico) Mexico (Chiapas, Tabasco, Veracruz) Endangered Zamia standleyi Schutzman III-B (Mega Mexico) Guatemala, Honduras Least concern Zamia stenophyllidia Nicolalde-Morejón, Martínez-Domínguez & Stevenson (unknown) Mexico (Michoacán) Not evaluated Zamia stevensonii A.S.Taylor & Holzman V (Isthmus) Panama Endangered Zamia stricta Miq. I (Caribbean) Cuba Vulnerable Zamia tolimensis Calonje, H.E.Esquivel & D.W.Stev VII (East of Andes) Colombia Endangered Zamia tuerckheimii Donn.Sm. III-B (Mega Mexico) Guatemala Near threatened Zamia ulei Dammer VII (East of Andes) Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela Least concern Zamia urep B.Walln. VII (East of Andes) Peru Endangered Zamia variegata Warsz. III-A (Mega Mexico) Belize, Guatemala, Mexico (Chiapas) Endangered Zamia vazquezii D.W.Stev., Sabato & De Luca II (Fischeri) Mexico (Veracruz) Critically endangered Zamia verschaffeltii Miq. (unknown) Mexico Not evaluated Zamia wallisii H.J.Veitch VI (West of Andes) Colombia Critically endangered
Partially accepted species The following species described in February 2026 has been accepted by the World List of Cycads (WLC), but as of September 2026 has not been accepted by the Kew Gardens Plants of the World Online (Kew) or the World Flora Online (WFO) databases. Zamia urarinorum Calonje, R.Zárate & M.Asa Jones
Invalid names This list includes some 50 names of Zamia species that have been published, but have since been synoymized to other cycad species and are not currently accepted by the WLC, Kew, or WFO databases. Zamia afra Thunb., Syn. of Encephalartos afer Zamia allison-armorii Millsp., Syn. of Z. pumila Zamia amblyphyllidia, Syn. of Z. erosa Zamia angustissima Miq., Syn. of Z. angustifolia Zamia atropurpurea Parm. ex Miq., Syn. of Ceratozamia mexicana Zamia baraquiniana hort. ex Regel, Syn. of Z. poeppigiana Zamia bussellii Schutzman, R.S., R.S. Adams, J.L. Haynes & Whitelock, Syn. of Z. onan-reyesii Zamia calocoma Miq., Syn. of Microcycas calocoma Zamia caracasana Lodd. ex Miq., Syn. of Z. loddigesii Zamia chamberlainii J. Schuster., Syn. of Z. pygmaea Zamia cupatiensis Ducke, Syn. of Z. ulei Zamia cycadifolia Jacq., Syn. of Encephalartos cycadifolius or Macrozamia fraseri Zamia debilis L. f., Syn. of Z. pumila Zamia dentata Voigt, Syn. of Z. integrifolia Zamia floridana A. DC., Syn. of Z. integrifolia Zamia friderici-guilielmi hort. ex Miq., Syn. of Encephalartos friderici-guilielmi Zamia fusca Schaedtler, Syn. of Z. verschaffeltii Zamia galeottii de Vriese, Syn. of Z. loddigesii Zamia guggenheimiana Catabia, Syn. of Z. angustifolia Zamia gutierrezii Sauvalle, Syn. of Z. muricata Zamia horrida Jacq., Syn. of Encephalartos horridus Zamia jirijirimensis R.E. Schult., Syn. of Z. lecointei Zamia kickxii Miq., Syn. of Z. pyqmaea Zamia lanuginosa Jacq., Syn. of Z. wallisii Zamia latifolia LH.J.Veitchex A. DC., Syn. of Z. furfuracea or Z. muricata Zamia latifoliolata Prenleloup, L.A., Syn. of Z. pumila Zamia lindleyana Warsz. ex Schaedtler, Syn. of Z. chigua Zamia longifolia Jacq., Syn. of Encephalartos longifolius Zamia macrophylla Parm. ex Miq., Syn. of Ceratozamia mexicana Zamia madida R.E. Schult., Syn. of Z. manicata Zamia maelani Miq., Syn. of Dioon edule Zamia media Jacq., Syn. of Z. integrifolia Zamia mexicana (Brongn.) Linden, Syn. of Z. loddigesii or Ceratozamia mexicana Zamia multifoliodentata Calonje, R. Segalla & R.S. Pimenta Zamia multifoliolata A. DC., Syn. of Z. angustifolia Zamia noeffiana Linden x Wirrm., Nomen dubium Zamia obidensis Ducke, Syn. of Z. lecointei Zamia ottonis Miq., Syn. of Z. pygmaea Zamia picta (Miq.) Dyer, Syn. of Z. variegata Zamia polymorpha D.W. Stev.,A. Moretti & Vázq. Torres, Syn. of Z. prasina Zamia potemkinii hort. x Miq. Nomen dubium or Syn. of Z. verschaffeltii