Cardboard Palm
Zamia spp. · Cycadaceae
How it looks
Cardboard Palm (Zamia spp.) is a cycad whose thick, stiff leaves spread in a feather shape. The leaf texture is rough and hard like paper card stock. The leaves grow radially atop a short stem, and it is not a true palm.
Deadly — liver failure
Cardboard Palm (Cardboard Palm) 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
The cardboard palm has "palm" in its name, but it is not a true palm — it is a cycad, and a popular houseplant. The cycasin in the whole plant, especially the seeds, destroys the liver, making it one of the most dangerous indoor plants for cats. Do not bring it into your home.
Telling it apart
The cardboard palm is a cycad that shares the liver toxin cycasin with the sago palm, cardboard cycad, and coontie palm. The word "palm" invites confusion with true palms like areca and parlor palm, which are non-toxic. Thick, stiff, feather-like fronds and cone-like structures point to a cycad.
How cats get exposed
Chewing the leaves is enough to start liver damage, and the seeds — where cycasin is most concentrated — can be fatal in just one or two. 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 core danger is liver toxicity. Liver damage becomes clear 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, the earlier treatment starts, the better the outlook. Do not induce vomiting at home — follow the clinic's instructions.
Details
- Scientific name
- Zamia spp.
- Common name
- Cardboard Palm
- Family
- Cycadaceae
- Toxic parts
- All parts (especially the seeds)
- Compounds
- Cycasin
- Source
- ASPCA
Related plants
Same plant family· Cycadaceae
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