Zamiaceae

Short, often underground or barely emergent trunk topped by a crown of stiff, leathery, pinnately divided fronds; reproduction is entirely by cones on separate male and female plants, the seeds often brightly coloured and exposed rather than enclosed in any fruit.

A gymnosperm more closely related to conifers than to true palms despite its palm-like fronds — its seeds are toxic to most animals unless specially processed, yet several native peoples developed traditional detoxification methods to use them as food.

To check whether a plant belongs to Zamiaceae, compare the leaf arrangement, leaf type, flower symmetry, fruit type, and one distinctive marker together. A single feature can mislead; the family pattern is the combination.