Cardboard Cycad
Zamia furfuracea · Cycadaceae
How it looks
Cardboard Cycad is a cycad whose thick, stiff leaves grow in a feather-like (pinnate) cluster. The leaves are thick and rough with a texture like cardboard, and stay rigid. The foliage spreads above a short trunk, growing 3–5 ft (1–1.5 m) tall. It is often mistaken for a palm.
Deadly — liver failure
Cardboard Cycad (Cardboard Cycad) is a cycad; all parts (especially the seeds) contain cycasin, and ingestion can lead to liver failure and death.
If ingested
Contact your nearest vet immediately
- Onset
- 6–24 hours after ingestion (symptoms may be delayed)
- Symptoms
- Vomiting, liver failure, death
- Action
- Go to a 24-hour animal hospital immediately. Don't wait, even if there are no symptoms.
Guide for parents
Cardboard cycad (cardboard palm) is a popular houseplant, but it is one of the most dangerous plants for cats. Despite the "palm" in some of its names, it is not a true palm but a cycad, and the cycasin in the whole plant — especially the seeds — destroys the liver. Do not bring it into your home.
Telling it apart
The cardboard cycad is a cycad that shares the same liver toxin, cycasin, with the sago palm, cardboard palm, and coontie palm. The word "palm" makes it easy to confuse with true palms, but common houseplant palms like areca and parlor palm are non-toxic. If you see thick, stiff, feather-like fronds and cone-like structures, suspect a cycad.
How cats get exposed
Chewing the leaves alone can start liver damage, but the most dangerous part is the seeds. Their cycasin concentration is so high that one or two can be fatal. Dropped leaf fragments, and the roots and stem exposed during repotting, are not safe either.
How symptoms progress
Signs usually begin within a few hours with vomiting and diarrhea, but the real danger is the liver toxicity. Liver damage builds over 24–48 hours, leading to jaundice, bleeding, and weakness, and can end in fatal liver failure. Do not mistake a lull in the early stomach signs for recovery.
What to do right now
If there is any chance your cat chewed or swallowed it, get to a 24-hour emergency vet immediately, even with no symptoms. With cycasin poisoning, early treatment strongly shapes the outcome. Do not induce vomiting at home — follow the clinic's instructions.
Details
- Scientific name
- Zamia furfuracea
- Common name
- Cardboard Cycad
- Family
- Cycadaceae
- Toxic parts
- All parts (especially the seeds)
- Compounds
- Cycasin
- Source
- ASPCA
Related plants
Same plant family· Cycadaceae
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