A tropical American plant (Zamia integrifolia) of the cycad family with large compound leaves and starchy root used by Native Americans and early settlers to make flour.
From Seminole or similar Native American languages, referring to the plant's root which was an important food source. Multiple English spellings reflect how the indigenous word was transliterated.
Coontie flour was a staple starch for southeastern Native Americans and early Florida settlers—the plant represents an important example of indigenous food knowledge that European colonizers adopted for survival.
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