Zamia integrifolia
arrowroot, coontie
Zamiaceae
Synonyms: Zamia pumila
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Plant Specifics


Landscaping
Specimen plant or mass planting in border.
Grows slowly.
Seed and root division



Ecology

Larval host for atala butterfly (Eumaeus atala florida) and the echo moth (Sierarctia echo).
Upland hardwood forests, high pine, coastal hammocks, shell middens.
Distribution and Planting Zones
Natural Range in Florida

USDA Zones:
USDA zones are based on minimum winter temperatures
Suitable to grow in:
8A,8B,9A,9B,10A,10B,11

Ethnobotany:
Used by the Indians as a source of starch. Also for many years this starch was used in the making of Animal Crackers. Read more about this in 1995 Palmetto article by Roger Hammer: http://www.fnps.org/assets/pdf/palmetto/hammer_roger_l_the_coontie_and_the_atala_hairstreak_vol_15_no_4_winter_1995.pdf
Other Comments:
Although palm-like in appearance, this is a cycad, a primitive group of non-flowering plants. It is listed as commercially exploited by the state of Florida.