Coontie, Zamia integrifolia, is a member of the prehistoric cycad plant family. They have a buried woody stem that is almost completely underground and produces a terminal crown of semi-stiff, evergreen, pinnate leaves 2 to 3 ft. long. The brown, fleshy, female seed-bearing cones are 6-8 in. long.. Coontie lends it beauty to natural or formal landscape settings. It is super easy to grow in full shade to full sun in well drained to dry soils. This plant is highly salt tolerant, but not tolerant of wet or heavy soils. Be sure to give this slower growing plant room for its mature size, which is roughly 3 feet by 3 feet. It is not a plant that should be pruned to control its size, so plan and place it correctly when you plant! Coontie is the larval plant for the Atala butterfly in South Florida. This plant is poisonous to ingest, a characteristic that may be important in it's placement in the landscape where young children or dogs are considered.

Check out our YouTube video on Coonties below!