Zamia floridana

This rare native Florida endemic is the hardiest of the prehistoric plant group known as cycads. The thick, shiny foliage emerging from a woody underground caudex looks like a broadleaf fern after rigor mortis sets in. Eventually, Z. floridana will make a nice clump large enough to flower...and I use the term loosely. Since it is a gymnosperm (pull out the dictionary), it produces a white male cone resembling a peeled banana. The female cone emerges brown and when pollinated, produces huge bright red seed. Native Americans used this as a source of starch...we have other things in mind. We have found this hardy in our Zone 7 garden when grown in a very protected site. In severe winters, the evergreen foliage may become deciduous.