Zamia roezlii
Encyclopedia
Zamia roezlii is a species of cycad
, a plant
in the Zamiaceae
family. It is found in Colombia
and Ecuador
.
Named by the Czech botanist Benedikt Roezl
.
A single sperm
cell from Zamia roezlii is about 0.4 mm in length and is visible to the unaided eye, being the world's largest sperm.
Cycad
Cycads are seed plants typically characterized by a stout and woody trunk with a crown of large, hard and stiff, evergreen leaves. They usually have pinnate leaves. The individual plants are either all male or all female . Cycads vary in size from having a trunk that is only a few centimeters...
, a plant
Plant
Plants are living organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. Precise definitions of the kingdom vary, but as the term is used here, plants include familiar organisms such as trees, flowers, herbs, bushes, grasses, vines, ferns, mosses, and green algae. The group is also called green plants or...
in the Zamiaceae
Zamiaceae
The Zamiaceae are a family of cycads that are superficially palm or fern-like. They are divided into two subfamilies with eight genera and about 150 species in the tropical and warm temperate regions of Africa, Australia and North and South America....
family. It is found in Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
and Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
.
Named by the Czech botanist Benedikt Roezl
Benedikt Roezl
Benedikt Roezl Czech traveller, gardener and botanist...
.
A single sperm
Sperm
The term sperm is derived from the Greek word sperma and refers to the male reproductive cells. In the types of sexual reproduction known as anisogamy and oogamy, there is a marked difference in the size of the gametes with the smaller one being termed the "male" or sperm cell...
cell from Zamia roezlii is about 0.4 mm in length and is visible to the unaided eye, being the world's largest sperm.
Source
- Donaldson, J.S. 2003. Zamia roezlii. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 24 August 2007.
- http://waynesword.palomar.edu/ww0601.htm#sperm