Dioon merolae

Merole's Mexican Sago Palm

This plant is not currently for sale. This is an archive page preserved for informational use.

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Item #: 11011

Zones: 8a to 10b

Dormancy: Evergreen

Height: 72" tall

Culture: Sun to Light Shade

Origin: Mexico

Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)


The endangered Mexican cycad Dioon merolae has been a nice surprise in our winter hardiness trials, surviving 7 degrees F so far. This was quite a surprise since it hails from the more southern provinces of Chiapas and Oaxaca where it can be found on steep sandstone cliffs near waterways in pine-oak forests. Dioon merolae, named in 1981 after Italian botanist Aldo Merole, forms a slow-growing solitary specimen with 3' long, stiff, upright, green leaves whose new flush is covered with silvery-grey hairs. We'll probably never see a trunk in our Zone 7b garden but in warmer zones the trunks can reach 3' or more. We recommend a dry, sheltered site in climates north of Zone 8b, where it becomes deciduous when temperatures drop below 20 degrees F.