Coontie

Also known as Florida Arrowroot, Coontie Palm, Seminole Bread

Coontie is an ancient cycad resembling a small, glossy fern that grows from a subterranean tuberous stem. As the only cycad native to the continental United States, it plays a vital ecological role by serving as the sole larval host plant for the rare atala butterfly. Plants are dioecious, bearing separate male and female cones that rely on specialized beetles for pollination.