a genus of two species of palmlike Australian cycads, evergreen perennial plants of the family Zamiaceae. Each is tuberous in form, with a subterranean stem resembling a gigantic carrot, 20 to 30 cm (8 to 12 inches) long. The leaves are two times pinnately compound. Species of Bowenia sometimes are cultivated as ornamentals in greenhouses and outdoors in warmer climates.