Stats

Lifespan: 100+ years
Size: Small
Diet: Photosynthetic
Biome: Coastal scrub
Range: North America
Movement: Sessile
Breeding: Seeds
Defense: Toxins
Status: G3

About

Coonties are small, woody cycads native to the southeastern United States, the Bahamas, Cuba, the Cayman Islands, and Puerto Rico. They are the only cycad native to the continental United States, and they store starch in their leaves.

Life cycle

1.
seed
A dormant seed waits for water and warmth before germinating.
2.
sprout
A first shoot emerges with cotyledon leaves and a tap root reaching down.
3.
sapling
A young plant grows true leaves and a stem or trunk, putting on height each season.
4.
mature
Fully grown, flowering or fruiting at adult size.

Learn more

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Taxonomy

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Class: Cycadopsida
Order: Cycadales
Family: Zamiaceae
Genus: Zamia
Species: Zamia integrifolia