Description
Latin name – Zamia integrifolia
Coontie is an ancient plant – the only cyad native to Florida! It is extremely hardy and drought tolerant. It is a great plant to put under trees and around bushes. It is the only host plant for the endangered Atala butterfly, making this an essential plant for all South Florida butterfly gardens.
The history of the Coontie plant is extremely important to Florida. It played a prominent roll in the diets of native Indians, then the Seminoles, and then the settlers. The native Indians had a process for turning the plant’s underground stems into an edible flour, despite the fact that, until it is processed, it contains deadly toxins. The Seminoles learned the process from the native Indians who shared it with the settlers. By the late 1880s, there were several mills around Miami that processed Coontie through the early 1900s. Tale as old as time, all the harvesting and processing took its toll on the Coontie population and it is now listed as a Commercially Exploited Plant. Its collection from the wild is federally prohibited.
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Size – 2-3ft tall, 3-5ft wide
Sun Requirements – Full sun to partial sun to full shade
Watering requirements – can handle heavy rains and is extremely drought tolerant
Food Forest Layer – Herbaceous
*The Coontie’s annual seed cone is toxic to humans and pets but they are easy to pull off to keep your dogs safe.
