It has been pretty slow here lately, so I thought I would cross-post this message to try to get a discussion going on a fascinating and controversial group of cycads. My apologies if you have already seen it.

As some of you already know, my colleagues and I have been studying the Zamia skinneri complex in the field in Panama for the past four years. Our paper that resulted from this research was recently published in the Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society. In it, we summarize the current status of botanical knowledge of the plicate-leaved zamias of Central America, provide a critical evaluation and re-characterization of Z. skinneriand Z. neurophyllidia, describe three new Panamanian endemics within the complex, and offer a hypothesis on the historical biogeography and evolution of the group. If you are interested in reading the entire paper, you can download/print it here:

http://www.cycadconservation.org/publications/Taylor-et-al-Zamia-skinneri-complex-BOJ-2008.pdf

We welcome any comments.

Jody