Burrawang facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Burrawang
Macrozamia communis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Division:	Cycadophyta
Class:	Cycadopsida
Order:	Cycadales
Family:	Zamiaceae
Subfamily:	Encephalartoideae
Tribe:	Encephalarteae
Subtribe:	Macrozamiinae
Genus:	Macrozamia Miq.

Macrozamia is a group of about forty types of cycads. Cycads are ancient plants that look a bit like palm trees. All Macrozamia plants grow only in Australia. Many parts of these plants were used by people for food and materials. But most parts are poisonous if they are not prepared correctly.

What are Macrozamia Plants Like?

Macrozamia plants are a type of cycad. They can have a trunk that is partly hidden underground. Or they can grow into a small to medium-sized tree. A crown of fronds, which look like palm leaves, grows from the top.

These plants have separate male and female plants. Both male and female plants grow large cones. The cones on female plants get even bigger when they are ready to release seeds. These cones hold the plant's reproductive parts.

Where Do Macrozamia Plants Grow?

Most types of Macrozamia grow in eastern Australia. You can find many species in southeast Queensland and New South Wales. One type lives in the MacDonnell Ranges in the Northern Territory. Three other types grow in the southwest part of Australia.

How Macrozamia Plants are Named

The first description of the Macrozamia group was written in 1842. It was published by Friedrich Anton Wilhelm Miquel. He was a botanist who studied plants.

The common name "burrawang" first referred to the M. communis species. This name comes from the Dharug language, an Aboriginal Australian language. People often use "burrawang" to talk about all species in this plant group.

Other informal names for these plants include 'rickets' in Queensland. This name was also used in Western Australia. It described what happened to cattle if they ate these plants. Other names are zamia, zamia palm, burrawang palm, and djeeri. These names are still used in different parts of Australia.

Types of Macrozamia Species

Here are some of the different types of Macrozamia plants:

• Macrozamia cardiacensis – found in southeast Queensland
• Macrozamia communis – found on the east coast of New South Wales
• Macrozamia concinna – found in New South Wales
• Macrozamia conferta – found in southeast Queensland
• Macrozamia cranei – found in southeast Queensland
• Macrozamia denisonii – found in southeast Queensland
• Macrozamia diplomera – found in New South Wales
• Macrozamia douglasii – found in southeast Queensland
• Macrozamia dyeri – found on the southern coast of Western Australia
• Macrozamia elegans – found in New South Wales
• Macrozamia fawcettii – found in New South Wales
• Macrozamia fearnsidei – found in southeast Queensland
• Macrozamia flexuosa – found in New South Wales
• Macrozamia fraseri – found in southwestern Western Australia
• Macrozamia glaucophylla – found in New South Wales
• Macrozamia heteromera – found in New South Wales
• Macrozamia humilis – found in New South Wales
• Macrozamia johnsonii – found in New South Wales
• Macrozamia lomandroides – found in southeast Queensland
• Macrozamia longispina – found in southeast Queensland
• Macrozamia lucida – found in southeast Queensland
• Macrozamia macdonnellii – found in Macdonnell Ranges, Northern Territory
• Macrozamia machinii – found in Queensland
• Macrozamia macleayi – found in Queensland
• Macrozamia miquelii – found in southeast and central Queensland
• Macrozamia montana – found in New South Wales
• Macrozamia moorei – found in southeast and central Queensland
• Macrozamia mountperriensis – found in southeast Queensland
• Macrozamia occidua – found in southeast Queensland
• Macrozamia parcifolia – found in southeast Queensland
• Macrozamia pauli-guilielmi – found in southeast Queensland, northeast New South Wales
• Macrozamia platyrhachis – found in southeast Queensland
• Macrozamia plurinervia – found in southeast Queensland, northeast New South Wales
• Macrozamia polymorpha – found in New South Wales
• Macrozamia reducta – found in New South Wales
• Macrozamia riedlei – found in southwestern Western Australia
• Macrozamia secunda – found in New South Wales
• Macrozamia serpentina – found in southeast Queensland
• Macrozamia spiralis – found in New South Wales
• Macrozamia stenomera – found in New South Wales
• Macrozamia viridis – found in southeast Queensland

Images for kids

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  A cone from a Macrozamia fraseri plant.

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  A MacDonnell Ranges cycad (Macrozamia macdonnellii) in Cycad Gorge, Finke Gorge National Park, Northern Territory.

See also

In Spanish: Macrozamia para niños