Coontie Zamia integrifolia
Other Common Name(s):
Previously known as:
- Zamia media
- Zamia tenuis
- Phonetic Spelling
- ZAY-mee-ah in-teg-ree-FOH-lee-uh
- This plant has medium severity poison characteristics.
- See below
- Description
-
Coontie is a shrubby perennial with a fleshy, underground stem in the zamia family (Zamiaceae). It is native to the States of Florida and Georgia. The epithet is a Latin compound meaning "entire leaves" and refers to the entire margins of the leaflets.
It prefers well-drained, sandy, moist soils with or without organic matter, though it does grow better in more nutrient-dense soils. It is drought-tolerant and tolerates salt spray.
This small, ancient cycad supports an endangered butterfly (the Florida Atala) so planting it in mass as a groundcover will help this butterfly, though the plants may suffer from larval feeding. They usually recover nicely. The fleshy seed coat must be removed to start germination. Stem cuttings from the underground fleshy stem can be used to create new plants.
Five taxonomic varieties are recognized from Florida and Georgia. They are: variety integrifolia, var. broomei, var. floridana, var. sylvicola and var. umbrosa. They are distinguished based on leaf and leaflet characters, habitats and distributions.
North of its native habitat, coontie can be cultivated as a houseplant or conservatory plant in a generous pot and summered outside in dappled shade.
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- var. broomei
Leaflets 5-8 mm wide; female cone 8-10 cm long; dry oak woodland. - var. floridana
Leaflets 8-14 mm wide; female cone 8-18 cm long; aboriginal shell mounds - var. integrifolia
Leaflets 8-14 mm wide; female cone 4-8 cm long; sandy soils; pinelands; widespread. - var. sylvicola
Leaflets 12-16 cm wide; moist hammocks & bluffs. - var. umbrosa
Leaflets 12-16 mm wide, with protruding vein tips ("teeth" or "callous bumps") at the apex.
- var. broomei
- var. broomei, var. floridana, var. integrifolia, var. sylvicola, var. umbrosa
- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- var. broomei
Leaflets 5-8 mm wide; female cone 8-10 cm long; dry oak woodland. - var. floridana
Leaflets 8-14 mm wide; female cone 8-18 cm long; aboriginal shell mounds - var. integrifolia
Leaflets 8-14 mm wide; female cone 4-8 cm long; sandy soils; pinelands; widespread. - var. sylvicola
Leaflets 12-16 cm wide; moist hammocks & bluffs. - var. umbrosa
Leaflets 12-16 mm wide, with protruding vein tips ("teeth" or "callous bumps") at the apex.
- var. broomei
- var. broomei, var. floridana, var. integrifolia, var. sylvicola, var. umbrosa
- Tags:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Zamia
- Species:
- integrifolia
- Family:
- Zamiaceae
- Uses (Ethnobotany):
- A source of starch for Native Americans. Also used as an ingredient in Animal Crackers.
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Recommended Propagation Strategy:
- Root Cutting
- Seed
- Stem Cutting
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- Georgia to Florida, Bahamas, Cuba, Cayman Islands
- Wildlife Value:
- Larval host for atala butterfly (Eumaeus atala florida) and the echo moth (Sierarctia echo).
- Edibility:
- Processed flour made from the root is not toxic and is made into bread and spaghetti.
- Dimensions:
- Height: 1 ft. 0 in. - 3 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 3 ft. 0 in. - 5 ft. 0 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Ground Cover
- Poisonous
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Needled Evergreen
- Habit/Form:
- Arching
- Clumping
- Erect
- Growth Rate:
- Slow
- Maintenance:
- Low
- Texture:
- Coarse
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
- Soil Texture:
- High Organic Matter
- Sand
- Soil pH:
- Acid (<6.0)
- Alkaline (>8.0)
- Neutral (6.0-8.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Moist
- Available Space To Plant:
- 12 inches-3 feet
- 3 feet-6 feet
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b, 10a, 10b, 11a, 11b
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Orange
- Red/Burgundy
- Fruit Length:
- 1-3 inches
- Fruit Width:
- 1-3 inches
- Fruit Description:
- Dioecious plants. Male cones are thin. Female cones are broad, erect 3'-6' tall with fleshy, orange-yellow or reddish seeds 1/2"-1" long.
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Flowers:
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Insignificant
- Flower Description:
- non-flowering
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Needled Evergreen
- Leaf Color:
- Green
- Leaf Feel:
- Glossy
- Leathery
- Leaf Value To Gardener:
- Showy
- Leaf Type:
- Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Other/more complex
- Rosulate
- Leaf Shape:
- Lanceolate
- Linear
- Leaf Margin:
- Serrate
- Hairs Present:
- No
- Leaf Length:
- > 6 inches
- Leaf Width:
- 1-3 inches
- Leaf Description:
- Fern-like pinnately divided leaves 10"-50" long with 5-30 leaflets.
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Stem:
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Description:
- Stem-less
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Coastal
- Container
- Naturalized Area
- Woodland
- Landscape Theme:
- Rock Garden
- Design Feature:
- Border
- Mass Planting
- Specimen
- Attracts:
- Butterflies
- Small Mammals
- Songbirds
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Drought
- Poor Soil
- Salt
- Problems:
- Poisonous to Humans
- Problem for Cats
- Problem for Dogs
- Problem for Horses
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Poisonous to Humans:
- Poison Severity:
- Medium
- Poison Symptoms:
- Vomiting (may be bloody), dark stools, headache, stomach pain, jaundice, increased thirst, bloody diarrhea, bruising, liver failure, death. 1-2 seeds can be fatal.
- Poison Toxic Principle:
- Glycoside, Cycasin, B-methylamino-l-alanine, unidentified neurotoxin (cattle)
- Causes Contact Dermatitis:
- No
- Poison Part:
- Sap/Juice
- Seeds
- Stems
