Coontie: Florida’s Ancient Native Cycad

Coontie is one of Florida’s most distinctive native landscape plants. Known scientifically as Zamia integrifolia, it is the only cycad native to the United States. Cycads existed long before flowering plants, giving this compact species an ancient history and a bold tropical appearance.

A mature Coontie usually forms a rounded mound 2 to 3 feet tall. Its stiff, glossy, featherlike leaves rise from a short underground stem. This controlled size makes it useful near foundations, along walkways, beneath palms, or in mass plantings where a clean evergreen texture is needed.

Coontie grows in full sun, partial shade, or deep shade. It adapts to many Florida soils and needs little irrigation after establishment. Strong drought tolerance, moderate salt tolerance, and good cold hardiness make it dependable across much of the state.

The plant also supports the rare Atala butterfly. Coontie is the preferred host plant for Atala caterpillars, which feed on tender new growth. A plant may look heavily eaten for a period, then recover as fresh leaves emerge.

All parts of Coontie contain toxins, especially the seeds and underground stem. Florida’s Indigenous peoples developed complex preparation methods to remove those toxins before using the starch. Homeowners should never attempt to eat or process the plant.

For South Tampa landscapes, Coontie offers native character, low maintenance, and valuable butterfly habitat in one compact plant.