coontie


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coon·tie

 (ko͞on′tē)
n.
Any of several evergreen cycads of the genus Zamia native to southern Florida, Mexico, and the West Indies, having compound leaves, unisexual cones, and conspicuously thickened underground stems that yield an edible starch.
[Florida Creek kuntí·, from earlier Creek, a species of catbrier (Smilax auriculata) whose roots were ground for use as a thickener.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

coontie

(ˈkuːntɪ)
n
1. (Plants) an evergreen plant, Zamia floridana of S Florida, related to the cycads and having large dark green leathery leaves: family Zamiaceae
2. (Biochemistry) a starch derived from the underground stems of this plant
[C19: from Seminole kunti flour from this plant]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

coon•tie

(ˈkun ti)

n.
1. either of two arrowroots, Zamia integrifolia or Z. floridana, of Florida, having a short trunk, pinnate leaves, and cones.
2. flour produced from coontie starch.
[1785–95, Amer.; < Florida Creek kuntí·]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.coontie - small tough woody zamia of Florida and West Indies and Cuba; roots and half-buried stems yield an arrowroot
Florida arrowroot, Seminole bread, Zamia pumila
zamia - any of various cycads of the genus Zamia; among the smallest and most verdant cycads
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
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References in periodicals archive ?
(Zamiaceae), commonly known as coontie, in both private homes and developments as ornamental foliage.
Life history variations and seasonal polyphenism in Eumaeus atala (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae)
Unlocking the coontie conundrum: the potential of microsatellite DNA studies in the Caribbean Zamia pumila complex (Zamiaceae).
Molecular systematics of threatened seed plant species endemic in the Caribbean Islands
In Sarasota County, Native Americans ate flour made from acorns, smilax and coontie; picked saw palmetto berries; and devoured every type of animal and sea creature they could capture.
The bounty hunter: Steve Phelps scours the landscape to bring diners at his Indigenous restaurant a taste of the Florida wild
They harvested cabbage palm hearts and coontie (a native cycad) roots, and, where possible on higher ground, they grew corn that they had brought from their homeland.
Conservation on Seminole Lands in Florida
Some of the species found on Pam's land are extremely rare, such as the Cycadaceae Zamia pumila, a low-growing fern-like coontie plant that serves as food for the Florida atala butterfly caterpillar (Eumaeus atala), which is a candidate for inclusion on the U.S.
A hurricane's silver lining
1990), and its sole host plant, coontie, Zamia integrifolia L.
New and revised life history of the Florida hairstreak Eumaeus atala (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) with notes on its current conservation status
The plants tested in this manner were: coontie, Zamia integrifolia L.
Host plant selection by Romalea microptera (Orthoptera: Romaleidae)

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