This unusual plant is the Puerto Rican Zamia, Zamia portoricensis.

Although its stiff, featherlike leaves may make it resemble a small palm or fern, it is actually a cycad—a member of an ancient group of seed plants that existed long before flowering plants appeared.

Most of the stem remains underground, which helps the plant survive dry conditions and protects it from damage. The leaves emerge in a crown close to the ground, and each one is divided into thick, leathery leaflets.

Cycads do not produce flowers. Instead, male and female plants develop separate cones. Male cones release pollen, while female cones produce seeds that become bright red or orange when mature.

Puerto Rican Zamia is native only to Puerto Rico, where it grows naturally in dry, rocky limestone habitats.

Its low profile may make it easy to overlook, but this plant represents one of the oldest surviving branches of the plant kingdom—a living reminder of vegetation that covered the earth during the age of the dinosaurs.