Trunks to 3 m tall. Leaves numerous, mostly 1-1.5 m long, green to waxy blue. Leaflets not or hardly narrowed at the base, directed slightly forwards about 8-10 cm long, to 1 cm wide, long pointed. Male cones cyclindrical; scales with upwardly pointing tips. Female cones ovoid, stalked, narrowed to point at the tip.

A variable species in colouration and leaflet size. In Mexico the seeds are ground to a paste, cooked and eaten. In warmer areas D. mejiae Standl. &L.O. Williams from Honduras and the spiny leafleted Mexican D. spinulosum Dyer are sometimes cultivated.

Mexico.

Source: Spencer, R. (1995). Zamiaceae. In: Spencer, R.. Horticultural Flora of South-eastern Australia. Volume 1, Ferns, conifers & their allies. The identification of garden and cultivated plants. University of New South Wales Press.