Zamia integrifolia

Lf. in Aiton

Florida arrowroot

ZamiaceaeShootsPotential hazards — see below

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What to Eat

Edible parts: Stem - starch

The stems can be processed for starch extraction and, after suitable treatment, eaten as a source of starch.

Known Hazards

Where to Find It

They grow naturally in grassland and in dunes. It is hardy and adaptable and will grow in a range of situations and soils. It best suits temperate and subtropical climates. It is often on limestone or sandy soils.

Australia, Bahamas, Caribbean, Central America, Cuba, Florida, Hawaii, North America, Pacific, Puerto Rico, USA, West Indies,

Countries: Antigua & Barbuda, Australia, Barbados, Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Fiji, Micronesia, Grenada, Guatemala, Honduras, Haiti, Jamaica, Kiribati, St Kitts & Nevis, St Lucia, Marshall Islands, Mexico, Nicaragua, Nauru, New Zealand, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Puerto Rico, Palau, Solomon Islands, El Salvador, Tonga, Trinidad & Tobago, Tuvalu, United States, St Vincent, Vanuatu, Samoa

How to Identify

A small cycad. It has branched underground stems. Each stem is about 6 cm across. The young leaves are covered with short rusty hairs. The mature leaves are 0.6-1.5 m long. There are 4-10 leaves in each crown. They are dark green and stiff. The leaf stalk is 20-80 cm long. It does not have prickles. There are about 20-80 leaflets on each leaf. They are 8-30 cm long by 1-3 cm wide. They are oblong with parallel veins. They are dark green, stiff and leathery. The male cones are 6-10 cm long by 1-2.5 cm wide. They are red or brown. They have short hairs. The female cones are 8-12 cm long by 2-3 cm wide. They are oval and with a tail. They are reddish-brown. They have short hairs. The seeds are 1.5-2 cm long by 1-2 cm wide. They are oval and orange to red.

How to Grow

It is grown from seed. It can be grown by dividing the clump.

Propagation: Seed - remove the fleshy coating and surface sow on damp sand. Germination is best at around 23 - 29°c, but can take several months or even years. Pot up young seedlings into a rich, moist medium, as soon as they are large enough to handle and grow on at high temperatures without any check to growth until 2 - 3 leaves have been produced at one time, otherwise they may enter dormancy. Division.

Other Uses

A starch obtained from the stems has been used as a laundry starch. The plant forms clumps and, in time, can make a good ground cover.

Wikipedia

Source ↗

Zamia integrifolia, also known as coontie, is a small, tough, woody cycad native to the southeastern United States (in Florida and formerly in Georgia), the Bahamas, Cuba, the Cayman Islands, and Puerto Rico. It is the only cycad native to the continental United States (the parts of the USA that exclude Hawaii and Alaska). Traditionally, it was used by Indigenous Americans to make starch.

Notes

There are about 55 Zamia species.

Names & Synonyms

Coontie, Sago cycad

See Zamia pumilaand Zamia floridiana

References (7)

W. Aiton, Hort. kew. 3:478. 1789
Hedrick, U.P., 1919, (Ed.), Sturtevant's edible plants of the world. p 692
Hibbert, M., 2002, The Aussie Plant Finder 2002, Florilegium. p 310
Jones, D.L., 2000, Cycads of the world. Reed New Holland. p 280
Kiple, K.F. & Ornelas, K.C., (eds), 2000, The Cambridge World History of Food. CUP p 1886
Menninger, E.A., 1977, Edible Nuts of the World. Horticultural Books. Florida p 164
Staples, G.W. and Herbst, D.R., 2005, A tropical Garden Flora. Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu, Hawaii. p 77