Coontie, Zamia integrifolia, is a small cycad native to Florida and parts of the southeastern United States and the Caribbean, growing as a low, palm-like plant with a mostly underground stem. Its starchy roots were processed by indigenous peoples and later by settlers into a flour-like starch, an early Florida industry, despite the plant's natural toxicity requiring careful preparation to remove harmful compounds before consumption; it also serves as the primary host plant for the caterpillars of the atala butterfly.
Facts
Classification
DietPhotosynthetic Autotroph 1 System (Realm) Relationship to PeopleEaten or Drunk by People 1 Living or Extinct Comparison
NatureServe Rank CITES Appendix Scientific Name Conservation Status Connections
Child Taxon Of
Source Wikidata: Coontie
In Biome
Source Zamia integrifolia (Wikipedia)
In Ecosystem
Source Zamia integrifolia (Wikipedia)
In the Other Atlases
Found In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Sources
1. Zamia integrifolia (Wikipedia)
Lead, sentence naming the group it belongs to
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.
Article text
In the Bahamas, Z. integrifolia is found in Bahamian pine forests and Bahamian dry forests on the Abaco Islands, where it is abundant, northern Andros, where it is common, Grand Bahama, where it is rare, and New Providence, where it is found in the few remaining unfragmented patches of pine forest.
system statement
In the Bahamas, Z. integrifolia is found in Bahamian pine forests and Bahamian dry forests on the Abaco Islands, where it is abundant, northern Andros, where it is common, Grand Bahama, where it is rare, and New Providence, where it is found in the few remaining unfragmented patches of pine forest.
Edible use
Two names, Florida arrowroot and wild sago, refer to the former commercial use of this species as the source of an edible starch.
In Biome: Tropical Dry Forest, Distribution and habitat
In the Bahamas, Z. integrifolia is found in Bahamian pine forests and Bahamian dry forests on the Abaco Islands, where it is abundant, northern Andros, where it is common, Grand Bahama, where it is rare, and New Providence, where it is found in the few remaining unfragmented patches of pine forest.
In Ecosystem: Everglades, Distribution
silvicola - Found in the vicinity of Crystal River and in the Everglades, this variety has leaflets 12 to 17 cm long and 10 to 15 mm wide.
View the Source2. Wikidata: Coontie
Wikidata- Wikidata Q3506489, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)
Statements section, conservation status (P141)
IUCN Red List conservation status (Wikidata property P141): near threatened.
- Wikidata Q3506489 (P225 taxon name)
- Child Taxon Of: Cycadopsida, Wikidata parent-taxon (P171) chain
View the Source 3. NatureServe Explorer: Zamia integrifolia
NatureServe ExplorerGlobal rank (roundedGRank)Quote, Global rank (roundedGRank)
"roundedGRank": "G3"
4. UNEP-WCMC Species+ database (CITES Secretariat): Species+: Zamia integrifolia
UNEP-WCMC Species+ database (CITES Secretariat)Species+ taxon_concepts, id 26799Quote, Species+ taxon_concepts, id 26799
"rank":"SPECIES","name_status":"A","updated_at":"2019-05-07T14:04:23.339Z","active":true,"cites_listing":"II"
5. Coontie (Wikipedia)
Plant (Wikipedia)
Lead, whole group is photosyntheticQuote, Lead, whole group is photosynthetic
They are predominantly photosynthetic or came from photosynthetic ancestors, meaning that they obtain their energy from sunlight by using the green pigment chlorophyll in their chloroplasts to produce sugars from carbon dioxide and water.
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