Palmetto
Cypress Knees Exploit Stumps
2011 Residential Landscape Awards
Red Coontie or White?
Apply for FNPS 2012 Endowment Grant Research Awards & Conservation Grant Awards
FNPS Research Grants: The Florida Native Plant Society maintains an Endowment Research Grant program for the purpose of funding research on native plants. These are small grants ($1,500 or less), awarded for a 1-year period, and intended to support research that forwards the mission of the Society, which is “to promote the preservation, conservation, and restoration of the native plants and native plant communities of Florida.”
FNPS Conservation Grants: Conservation Grants support applied native plant conservation projects in Florida. These small grants ($1,500 or less) are awarded for a 1-year period. Examples of projects that this grant supports are on-theground native plant community restoration, land acquisition, and habitat enhancement. To qualify for a Conservation Grant, the proposed project must be sponsored by an FNPS Chapter.
Application guidelines can be found on the FNPS website, www.fnps.org Click on the Awards and Grants link. Questions regarding the grant programs should be sent to info@fnps.org
Application deadline is March 2, 2012
Awards will be announced at the FNPS Annual Conference in Plant City, FL, May 2012. Recipients do not have to be present to receive an award. Your
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stevewoodmansee@bellsouth.net 8025 SW 102 Avenue Miami, FL 33173-3937
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Palmetto
Features
4 Cypress Knees Exploit Stumps
For nearly two centuries, the function of cypress knees has been theorized and researched, without consensus, and remains an enduring enigma. Maureen Bonness explores how cypress knees exploit stumps, while pondering the purpose of these above ground roots.
8 2011 “Design With Natives” Awards – Part I: Residential Landscapes
FNPS honors the use of native plants in restorative and traditional landscapes through the annual “Design With Natives” program. Amateur and professional designers share their efforts and are honored for their achievements at the FNPS Annual Conference. This year’s residential award winners range from an oceanfront paradise to a haven for birds, and provide gardening inspiration for all.
13 Would You Prefer Red Coontie or White?
When it comes to dining on coontie, there are choices. Zamia, the cycad, is generally referred to as “Florida coontie” – but less well known is red coontie, which is made from the rhizomes of one or several of the dozen species of catbrier (Smilax) native to Florida. Dr. Jack Putz investigates how these tuberous natives were used as foods.
COVER:
Palmetto seeks articles on native plant species and related conservation topics, as well as high-quality botanical illustrations and photographs. Contact the editor for guidelines, deadlines and other information at pucpuggy@bellsouth.net, or visit www.fnps.org and follow the links to Publications/Palmetto.
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The Palmetto (ISSN 0276-4164) Copyright 2011, Florida Native Plant Society, all rights reserved. No part of the contents of this magazine may be reproduced by any means without written consent of the editor. The Palmetto is published four times a year by the Florida Native Plant Society (FNPS) as a benefit to members. The observations and opinions expressed in attributed columns and articles are those of the respective authors and should not be interpreted as representing the official views of the Florida Native Plant Society or the editor, except where otherwise stated.
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ON THE
Cypress root with knee-like projection on looping-root growth form. Photo by Maureen Bonness. See story on page 4.
Cypress Knees Exploit Stumps
By Maureen S. Bonness
by Nick Shirghio and Maureen Bonness
Photos
Above: Cypress outrigger roots with knees exposed along a river bank at Fisheating Creek.
Photo by Maureen Bonness.
Cypress looping-roots and knees growing in a cypress stump.
Photo by Nick Shirghio.
The roots of cypress trees (Taxodium distichum and T. ascendens) have been released from typical constraints that keep roots subterranean, and regularly protrude above ground in odd woody formations known as “knees”. Most knees are more or less conical, but I would describe some as being shaped more like spires, Hershey kisses, blobs, or shmoos. Knees are prominent features that bestow cypress swamps with an ambiance like no other swamp. For nearly two centuries, the function of knees has been theorized and researched, without consensus, and remains “an enduring enigma” as discussed by C. H. Briand (2000; see also Brown 1984 and references within both articles). Hypotheses include gas exchange (e.g., aeration of root system), mechanical support, nutrient acquisition (including detritus catchers), and carbohydrate storage. Knees generally do not grow much above the average high-water level in any particular swamp, thus the aeration theory is arguably the most popular, despite this specialized function being unsupported by physiological and anatomical research.
As a scientist, I find it unsettling that one of the most common features of the landscape is a mystery. I frequently wonder if there is a connection between cypress trees having knees and the fact that cypress trees are swampland conifers that are deciduous.
After a decade of traipsing around cypress swamps and periodically tripping over one of “the enigmas”, I came upon a scene that highjacked my musings on knee function. I was monitoring vegetation in a mitigation
Above left: Melaleuca stump (note the white papery bark) with infiltrating cypress knee and root loop. The stump is 35 inches tall.
Above right: Melaleuca stump with bark removed to show infiltrating cypress roots attached to looping-roots and knee. Photos by Nick Shirghio.
preserve adjacent to Picayune Strand State Forest (southwest Florida). Seven years prior, invasive melaleuca (Melaleuca quinquenervia) had been selectively hand-cut and herbicided, and now the residual cypress trees were thriving. My attention was completely diverted when I noticed thick cypress roots growing within many of the melaleuca stumps. Stumpassociated cypress roots were variable in shape. Some were cone-shaped like cypress knees, but many were “loopingroots” that grew from the root tip, up into the stump, often extending upward to the height of the stump, and then returned to the ground. It was not unusual to see a thick cypress looping-root growing through the crotch of a multitrunk stump, and back to the ground – an improbable, if not impossible, situation while the melaleuca tree was growing and expanding. Perhaps the most significant revelation was that teasing stump material exposed a network of cypress rootlets that had ramified into the stump. The cypress knees and looping-roots may have been exploiting nutrients provided by a multitude of fast-decaying stumps .
I established a 50m x 20m research plot within which all standing melaleuca stumps were measured for height, diameter, and visually inspected for obvious outward signs of cypress looping-roots or knees growing into or against the stump. Of 92 stumps in the plot, 50 (54%) were obviously associated with cypress root protuberances. Stump height and diameter were irrelevant concerning presence/absence of cypress roots. Remarkably, of the 27 stumps resulting from multi-trunk melaleuca trees, 20 (74%) exhibited an association with cypress root protuberances.
These data demonstrate that early development of cypress knees and looping-roots is commonly associated with stumps at this site. The research plot may be different than a typical cypress swamp in that stump availability is exaggerated, and rapidly decaying melaleuca may be especially appetizing, but the frequency of stump-associated knees is impressive and provides a unique snapshot. Also, there is a clear time line: cypress root protuberances in melaleuca stumps developed after melaleuca eradication seven years prior.
One looping-root embedded in a stump had an extension into an unattached decaying branch adjacent to the stump. This raised the question of suitability of horizontal logs as a substrate for cypress roots. Hence, evaluations were also done on nearby logs derived from the former treetops of felled trees within the plot, and thus the same age as the stumps. Thirty-two logs that had contact with the soil were lifted and inspected for the presence of cypress roots. In contrast to the stumps in the plot, cypress roots rarely infiltrated horizontal melaleuca logs, with only two logs observed to have a small amount of fine cypress rootlets extending into the logs. No logs were found to harbor cypress looping-roots or knees. Why knees develop in stumps but not logs is open for interpretation. Anyone with a lawn (and a lawn mower) adjacent to a cypress swamp can attest that knees do not require vertical support during early development.
Further observations revealed that cypress looping-roots and knees infiltrate stumps from native tree species, including red maple (Acer rubrum), oak (Quercus sp.) and cypress. The most frequently exploited native tree stump is also the most
Above Left: Cypress root growing within a melaleuca stump (note the white papery bark). Above right: Cypress looping-root growing through the crotch of a multi-trunk melaleuca stump. Photos by Maureen Bonness.
common: cypress stumps. Typically there is an assemblage of cypress root protuberances associated with a stump, with any combination of cone-shaped knees and looping-roots. Presumably, as the stump decays, the freestanding root protuberances remain. Some odd knee shapes and assemblages seen today may be explained by the prior presence of a stump.
Delving back into the literature, I found that I am following footprints made by Hans Kummer and colleagues (1991) who described cypress looping-roots exploiting stumps in a cypress dome in Everglades National Park. The authors infer that some looping-roots develop into knees. Anatomists may take umbrage at this notion, since looping-roots develop through tip growth, while knee development is described as “localized eccentric secondary growth beneath the upper surface of a horizontal root” (Troll 1943, translated by George Wilder). However, the odd shapes of both types of root protuberance can obscure their distinction, and some looping-roots have knee-like growths at the apex. Kummer et al. also provide data showing that the density of cypress knees was higher in plots with more stumps. Coincidently, they also described a looping-root with an extension to an unattached branch.
Curious about whether stump-exploiting knees is a quirk or a commonality, I expanded my investigation geographically to other cypress swamps in Florida and environs . A brief (1-2 hr) survey done at each site was intended as a rapid assessment, not an exhaustive search. For this survey, only knees attached to fine rootlets penetrating the stump were considered to be “exploiting stumps”. Stump-exploiting cypress knees or looping-roots were readily found at 10 of 15 locations across all latitudes of the state, from the Everglades to Okefenokee. This cursory cross-Florida survey shows that stump-exploiting cypress roots are widespread throughout Florida, although the frequency varies and may be dependent upon site-specific (yet-undetermined) conditions.
Roots do not usually grow upwards out of the ground. The obvious exceptions to this rule are seen in mangrove swamps. Certainly, the similarity in appearance between cypress knees and mangrove pneumatophores has influenced botanists’ speculations that cypress knees play a role in gas exchange. However, unlike mangrove root protuberances, cypress knees lack anatomical features (e.g., lenticels, aerenchyma) that are specialized for aeration of the root system. In the freshwater swamps of southeastern United States, cypress accounts for the vast majority of above ground roots, although several other woody species also produce loopingroots, including Nyssa spp., Ilex spp., red maple, and pop-ash (Fraxinus caroliniana) (Briand 2000 and personal observations). Growing above ground exposes roots to hazards not typically encountered by roots, including physical injury, fire, desiccation, sun exposure, and attack by above ground pests/ pathogens. From my observations, fire can be fatal to knees
Apalachicola Nat’l Forest (Leon Sinks Geological Area)
Depressional cypress swamp (Suwanee County)
Withlacoochee River (near Floral City)
Hillsborough River (Sargeant Park)
Fisheating Creek
Cypress Roots Exploiting Stumps
Observed Not Found
Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary
Picayune Strand S.F.
Fakahatchee Strand Preserve S.P.
Everglades Nat’l Park
Above: Rapid assessment survey of Florida showing locations where cypress knees or looping-roots were readily found exploiting stumps (with fine rootlets infiltrating the stump).
and looping-roots. For cypress knees, a functional benefit apparently out-weighs above ground risks.
Stumps in a swamp may provide a nutritional windfall in an otherwise lean landscape. Other species (mostly grasses) also infiltrate decaying melaleuca stumps. (Note: the trunks of living melaleuca are unsuitable substrates, as I have never seen infiltrating roots within thousands of melaleuca stems I have felled.) The odd situation with cypress roots exploiting stumps is that cypress may form large woody protuberances that are potentially permanent, rather than producing a mass of temporary rootlets for an ephemeral nutrient source. For stump-exploiting knees, the role of nutrient acquisition may be limited to early knee growth, with the knee efficiently located at a nutrient source that enables knee development. On the other hand, tight clusters of knees encourage accumulation of detritus (sometimes amassing into raised gardening beds for other plant species), which may provide a long-term source of nutrients that could be tapped by the cypress knees beneath.
If an abundance of stumps/nutrients results in more knees, could this imply that knees play a role in carbohydrate storage (essentially above ground woody tubers)? If so, what is the advantage of having carbohydrate storage organs above ground and less frequently inundated? Is this perhaps correlated with the seasonal interplay of leaf flushing, flooding, and autumnal leaf-drop, which results in dynamic translocation of sugars between root and shoot during high-water levels? Also, considering that cypress trees are long-lived giants of the swamp, potentially standing for centuries, could the distribution
Continued on page 12
Arbuckle Creek Green Swamp (West Tract; McNeil Rd.)
Seminole Ranch WMA
Itchetucknee Springs S.P.
Suwanee River S.P. Okefenokee NWR
Florida Native Plant Society
2011 LandscapeAwards
Part 1: Residential Landscapes
Photos: Clockwise from top: Oceanside Gem; Henkelhaus Lakeside; Wert/Stauffer Residence; Green Home
Each year, FNPS honors the use of native plants in restorative and traditional landscapes through the “Design With Natives” program, which gives amateur and professional designers an opportunity to share their efforts and be honored for their achievements at the FNPS Annual Conference. We congratulate the residential winners of the 2011 “Design With Natives” Awards, showcased here.
Residential Professional Landscape Award Winner Award of Excellence: Oceanside Gem
Owner: Dr. & Mrs. Joseph Sachs; Designer: Richard P. Brown; Installation: Melrose Nursery
This lushly landscaped oceanside paradise of nearly an acre is located on Lower Matecumbe Key. Seeing it today would hardly lead one to believe that it was previously overrun with invasive exotics, including Brazilian pepper (Schinus terebinthifolius) and Australian pine (Casuarina equisetifolia).
Oceanside Gem’s owners requested that their landscape be restored with plants native to the Florida Keys, and required that the design be low maintenance, self sustaining, and able to survive in the dynamic oceanfront environment.
Despite the presence of invasive plants, some native vegetation remained – mature green buttonwood trees (Conocarpus erectus) and a berm of bay cedar (Suriana maritima), sea lavender (Argusia gnaphalodes), sea grape (Coccoloba uvifera) and wild dilly (Manilkara jaimiqui) were carefully preserved during the restoration. Canopy trees were integral in providing cover and shade for the new understory plants, sheltering them from intense sun and winds. The canopy also reduced moisture loss from soil, allowing the garden to conserve water and lessen the need for irrigation.
Sandy walkways meander through the site, and the design provides privacy for the owners as well as habitat for birds and butterflies.
Photos: From top: Wert/Stauffer Residence; Green Home; Henkelhaus Lakeside; Birdgarden
Consideration was given to the view, and glimpses of the ocean can be seen as one strolls through the garden.
No native vegetation was removed during the landscaping process, and all Category 1 and 2 invasive plants were eliminated. Today, nearly 80% of the plants in the garden are native to the Florida Keys.
2011 Residential Amateur Landscape Award Winner
Award of Excellence: Henkelhaus Lakeside
Owner/Designer/Installation: John and Nancy Henkelman
Maintenance: John, Nancy, Johnny, Daniel, and Andy Henkelman
The three acre Henkelhaus Lakeside property was carved out of a cattle farm and bordered by a borrow pit and a lake. Plant species in its existing habitat included saw palmetto thickets (Serenoa repens) under a pine canopy, and wet areas filled with dahoon holly (Ilex cassine) and loblolly bay (Gordonia lasianthus). The lakeside was eroded by years of use as a fishing access for motor vehicles and boats. Invasive plants found on site included Brazilian pepper (Schinus terebinthifolius), air potato (Dioscorea bulbifera) and small-leaf climbing fern (Lygodium microphyllum).
Land clearing was limited to an area twice the size of the house footprint. Planting areas added to the landscape included a native garden near the entry, a canopy to shade the home’s sunny
southern exposure, a wind block to protect the home from southeast winds, a native meadow in the open backyard, a wetlands bog, and a screened room for propagation activities.
To expand the native tree diversity, sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua), water hickory (Carya aquatica), pignut hickory (Carya glabra), cypress (Taxodium distichum), elm species, cabbage palm (Sabal palmetto) and a variety of oak trees were added to the landscape. These trees and associated understory natives fit naturally in the transition zone between the sandy soil and the peaty wetlands soil.
Maintenance requires controlling invasive species with biannual ‘search and destroy’ sessions. Containing the overgrowth of grape and cat briar vines is another challenge. Trails were formed to provide access, and regular trimming of large stems helps to keep the vines in check. Small controlled burns,
Photos: Above: Oceanside Gem; Right: Henkelhaus Lakeside
when permitted, help keep invasive and aggressive species under control.
The yard is a Certified Florida Yard and a National Wildlife Federation Backyard Wildlife Habitat. The owners enjoy sharing their vision, and for more than 12 years have supported Boy Scout activities. Scouts use the yard as a place to work on First Class Emphasis Program requirements for identifying plants and animals, and on earning Environmental Science and Gardening merit badges.
2011 Residential Amateur Landscape Award Winner
Award of Honor: Residence of Julie Wert / Richard Stauffer
Owner/Designer: Julie Wert – Richard Stauffer
After designing a home to fit among the trees on this five acre property, roughly an acre and a half was cleared. The owners were horrified at how raw the site looked and immediately began the process of restoration.
The property slopes from sand pine scrub downward to hardwood forest and mesic hammocks. Sand pine (Pinus clausa) gives way to mature slash pines (P. elliottii), Southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora), hickory (Carya glabra) and water oaks (Quercus nigra).
During the clearing and restoration process, the owners discovered treasures such as pawpaw (Asimina obovata), sparkleberry (Vaccinium arboreum), wild olive (Osmanthus americanus), myrsine (Myrsine floridana), needle palms (Rhapidophyllum hystrix) and orchids (Habenaria odontopetala).
Paths were cleared in the woods around the house for strolling and to provide a fire break. Trees were added to the outer edges of the remaining islands of vegetation, and shrubs were used to fill in around the trees. Spaces in between were mulched to eliminate turf grass and expand the beds.
The owners’ initial distress at the seeming lack of birds and other wildlife after clearing has been replaced with bird song. Marsh rabbits explore the space under the bird feeder and gopher tortoises browse on gourmet lettuce in the vegetable garden. A fox delicately nibbles the fruit of the shiny blueberry (Vaccinium myrsinites), and the slash pine hit by lightning provides a perch for an osprey to dine on fish and a convenient spot for pileated woodpeckers to mine for insects.
2011 Residential Amateur Landscape Award Winner
Award of Merit: Birdgarden
Owner/Designer: John A. Almada
A pine flatwoods ecosystem was present on this lot, which is slightly smaller than one half acre. During construction, more than fifty mature trees were preserved, and the owner has supplemented them with shrubs including white indigoberry (Randia aculeata), marlberry (Ardisia escallonioides), tough bumelia (Sideroxylon tenax), Jamaica caper (Capparis cynophallophora), and fiddlewood (Citharexylum spinosum).
He states, “Shrubs are better able to feed migrating birds and their flowers attract pollinating insects. When the saw palmetto or fiddlewood is flowering, the entire area is abuzz with bees... native plants do not have showy blooms but attract wildlife and many leave a subtle perfume in the air...”
Gardening for birds is emphasized in this landscape design, and a wide variety of food plants on the property attract both resident and migrating birds. Smilax species create thorny and brushy areas where birds can nest and hide. Other vines such as Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) and native passionflower are also allowed to flourish.
Of his efforts to turn his property into a haven for birds, Birdgarden’s owner says, “Chain saws buzzing and two cycle fuel floating everywhere and fast growing exotics that need constant pruning is not the way to go. I want to revise plant lists for the communities I work in to teach residents how to reduce problem insects while attracting pollinating insects. I network as much as possible, and my bird attracting garden is used to educate people about gardening wherever I go.”
2011 Residential Amateur Landscape Award Winner
Honorable Mention: Green Home
Owner: Alex and Freda Green; Designer: Melissa Montilla; Installation: David Pais; Maintenance: Bill Adams
Built in 1966 on a suburban half acre lot, this Gainesville, Florida home is nestled among large live oaks laden with Spanish moss. During construction, existing trees, including boxelder (Acer negundo), pignut hickory (Carya glabra), Southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora), hog plum (Prunus umbellata), sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua), loblolly pine (Pinus taeda), laurel oak (Quercus laurifolia), water oak (Quercus nigra), cabbage palm (Sabal palmetto), and hackberry (Celtis laevigata) were preserved. Understory plants and shrubs were also protected, and today the site is graced with blue-stem palmetto (Sabal minor), tough bumelia (Sideroxylon tenax), American beautyberry (Callicarpa americana), Hercules club (Zanthoxylum clava-herculis), and flowering dogwood (Cornus florida).
Although a limited number of non-native plants were retained from the original landscape plan, all plants on the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council’s list of Category 1 and 2 invasive species were removed, and the site is now composed of 75% native vegetation. New plants added to the landscape to replace non-native species include coontie (Zamia pumila), Walter’s viburnum (Viburnum obovatum), Simpson’s stopper (Myrcianthes fragrans), Florida anise (Illicium floridanum), fringe tree (Chionanthus virginicus), pipestem (Agarista populifolia), and coral honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens).
Over 50 native plant species make this suburban yard their home, and the diversity attracts a variety of birds and other wildlife. Adding native plants to the landscape has created a beckoning yard that is attractive, low maintenance, and wildlife friendly.
Cypress Knees Exploit Stumps
of present-day knees provide information about stumps/trees of the past?
Evidence herein provides ample argument that some knees develop in association with stumps. This is certainly not the case for all knees. Cypress roots exposed by erosion show that knees are commonly located at a root bend, where a horizontal root abruptly becomes a descending root. Frequently there are multiple vertical roots that emanate from the knee/bend area. This “outrigger” arrangement has obvious advantages for mechanical support to the tree in its soggy environment. It is unclear as to the extent the knee itself enhances the support capacity of outrigger roots.
Cypress knees are polymorphic, versatile, and opportunistic. They may have multiple functions including anchoring the tree, seeking out nutrients, and storing reserve sugars – all of which are common root functions. Cypress knees defy dogmatic root taboos by growing upwards against gravity and by growing towards sunlight. Undoubtedly, the deviant growth form of cypress knees is related to swamp conditions, particularly water levels. Armed with the knowledge that initial development of some knees involves exploitation of stump nutrients, it may be time to re-examine less fashionable theories on cypress root function: nutrient acquisition and carbohydrate storage.
The author is grateful for assistance from colleagues who reviewed this manuscript, including Mike Duever, Jean McCollom, Dennis Cornejo, Dan Austin, and George Wilder.
References Cited
Briand, C.H. 2000. Cypress Knees: An Enduring Enigma. Arnoldia 60(4):19-25. Brown, C.A. 1984. Morphology and biology of cypress trees. Pages 16–24 IN Cypress Swamps, eds. Ewel K.C, & H.T. Odum. Univ. of FL Press, Gainesville. 472pp.
Kummer, H., M. Brandt, M. Furter, L. Keller, & M. Meier. 1991. Nutritional exploitation of dead trunks: another function of cypress knees (Taxodium distichum)? Trees 5:122-123.
Troll, W. 1943. Vergleichende Morphologie der hoheren Pflanzen. Erster Band: Vegetationsorgane. Dritter Teil. Gerbruder Borntraeger. Pp. 2007-2736.
About the Author
Dr. Maureen Bonness immerses herself in the wild areas of Florida for her profession (as an environmental consultant), for fun (as an endurance athlete), and as a volunteer (at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, amongst centuries-old cypress giants). She hopes to someday bicycle across the Everglades on the River of Grass Greenway. maureenb@evergladesROGG.org
Call for Research Papers and Poster Presentations for the 2012 FNPS Conference
The Florida Native Plant Society Annual Conference will be held at the John R. Trinkle Center, Hillsborough Community College, Plant City Campus, Plant City, Florida May 17-20, 2012
The Research Track of the Conference will include presented papers on Friday, May 18 and Saturday, May 19. Posters will be on display on Friday and Saturday and the poster session will be on Saturday afternoon.
Researchers are invited to submit abstracts on research related to native plants and plant communities of Florida including preservation, conservation, and restoration. Presentations are planned to be 20 minutes in total length (15 min. presentation, 5 min. questions).
Abstracts of not more than 200 words should be submitted as a MS Word file by email to Paul A. Schmalzer paul.a.schmalzer@nasa.gov by February 1, 2012. Include title, affiliation, and address. Indicate whether you will be presenting a paper or poster.
Applications are available for download on the FNPS website www.fnps.org
Questions regarding the grant programs should be sent to info@fnps.org
Application deadline is February 1, 2012.
Would You Prefer Red Coontie or White? Outstanding Mysteries About a Traditional Food
by Francis E. Putz, Gainesville, FL
While I admit to having only vague ideas about the restaurant fare of yesteryear, if I were dining out in Florida a few centuries back and the server offered me red coontie or white, I’d opt for the red. There’s admittedly some exoticism associated with white coontie, derived as it is from the stem tubers of a very primitive plant, but I worry about the long-term health impacts of ingesting it in quantities. Then again, based on my admittedly unresolved experimental archaeology research, red coontie is apparently one of those “starvation” foods – the more you eat, the more malnourished you become. But what exactly was the “coontie” that was the staple food in Florida before colonization from across the Atlantic and how was it prepared?
Dangers of Eating Cycad-Derived White Coontie
I’m hesitant about eating white coontie made from our native cycad, Zamia floridana, mostly because it contains cycasin alkaloids, which cause liver damage, and beta Methylamino-L-alanine, the cumulative effects of which are senile dementia-like neurological symptoms. Until the life expectancies of cycad-consuming Australian aborigines and Pacific islanders increased, this form of psychosis was mistaken for alcoholism. I’m aware that by grinding up and then leaching the stem tubers, at least some of the toxins can be removed, but I worry about consuming even trace amounts. For me, white coontie starch is fine for stiffening collars, for which it was once commercially used, but it is not high on my list of favorite foods. From the plant’s perspective, while these toxins provide protection against herbivores, there are specialists that eat little else including our glorious atala hairstreak butterfly.
Above: Smilax smallii. Photos by Francis E. Putz
Would You Prefer Red Coontie or White?
Some people don’t know that when it comes to coontie, there are choices. The word “coontie” itself isn’t very revealing insofar as it just means “flour root” in Creek. This confusion is also understandable given that Zamia, the cycad, is generally referred to as “Florida coontie.” Less well known is red coontie, which is made from the swollen belowground stems (i.e., rhizomes) of one or several of the dozen species of catbrier (Smilax spp.) native to Florida.
Food from Catbrier Rhizomes?
Due to the thorny stems of these pesky vines, Smilax species are generally referred to as “catbrier” or “greenbrier,” but some stout-stemmed species are called “bullbrier” or “bamboo vine.” Several South American and Caribbean species of Smilax were exported to Europe in astounding quantities in the 17th to 19th centuries, mostly as an herbal treatment for syphilis. The catbrier of former pharmaceutical importance is known by its Spanish moniker, sarsaparilla, derived from the words sarsa for prickles and parilla for climber. Sarsaparilla was, and perhaps still is, also used as a foaming agent in soft drinks. So far I haven’t been able to find out much about how sarsaparilla was or is commercially grown and processed, but I am interested. Whereas the writings of scientists often reveal profound knowledge, on the subject of coontie I have more outstanding questions than brilliant insights. Although laboratory analysis revealed that catbrier tubers contain as much starch as “Irish” potatoes (which originated in the Andes), I have still not perfected the technique for rendering the rhizomes into food. I shouldn’t shirk responsibility for my failures to date, but progress in this project has been impeded by the poor attitudes of two of my would-be collaborators. Although my son is an always willing helper and subject, his
older sister and mother are not at all cooperative. For example, I expected them to be thrilled with the live oak mortar and pestle that I so painstakingly and lovingly made for them, but my vision of the two ladies happily pounding red coontie and perhaps singing while I reclined in my hammock was merely an illusion – they would neither pound nor even sample the bright red coontie pancakes we offered. I admit to not having yet perfected a method for removing the tannins and other astringent compounds that make red coontie red, but they could at least have taken a taste. After all, I followed the explicit instructions of the famed naturalist, William Bartram, about whom I now harbor some suspicions.
In his magnificent Travels, Bartram, known among the Timucuans as Puc Puggy (the “Gentle Flower”) described in substantial detail how to make bread from catbrier rhizomes. Having tried his recipe and failed, I wonder whether the braves who gave him his information really knew of what they spoke. Mightn’t they have left out a step, such
as a lye treatment to soften the fibers and render the bright red tannins more readily leached? Lye made from wood ashes would have been readily available, and use of that strong base is familiar to food processors from the olive groves of the Mediterranean to the tortilla shops of Mexico; our own hominy grits are made from corn kernels slaked in lye. Having heard that coontie preparation sometimes involved fermentation, I also experimented with red coontie beer. In this case even I have to admit that the brew was awful, even worse than my muscadine wine, which does work well as a carburetor cleaner. One problem with the catbrier brew might have been that it fermented very slowly, which allowed plenty of opportunities for colonization by microbes other than beer yeast. The process could have been accelerated by adding honey or sugar, but since honeybees, sugar cane, and sugar beets are all recent introductions in the Americas, I opted for historical purity in exchange for biochemical diversity.
But Which Catbrier Species?
Despite having failed in my culinary experiments, I think I know which of the common species of catbrier in our area was the principal source of red coontie for local Timucuans and the Seminoles who followed. The scientific name for this thick-stemmed and nearly thornless species is Smilax smallii, named after John Kunkel Small, the author of the first comprehensive flora of the Southeast. In the vernacular this species is known as “Jackson vine” and “lanceleaf” in addition to the more generic name “greenbrier.” The foliage of Jackson vine is evergreen and sufficiently attractive that it was commercially marketed for use in Christmas decorations through the 1960s. Large quantities were shipped northwards every year during the Yuletide season, a trade that has now
Above: Tubers of Smilax smallii.
Photo by Francis E. Putz
apparently stopped. What impresses me about Jackson vine are its massive rhizomes. I excavated a single plant that had six thumb-thick stems and a rhizome that weighed in at 65 pounds, which is a lot of potatoes.
I can’t yet distinguish the taste of red coontie derived from different species of Smilax, but I do know that poundfor-pound S. smallii is the easiest to excavate. Using just a stout stick with a fire-hardened point I excavated nearly 100 pounds of tubers in a sweat-drenched half-hour. In contrast, harvesting a similar amount of the next most likely candidate, Smilax laurifolia, takes about four times longer even with a long-handled metal-bladed spade. The least likely candidate is perhaps our most common; the starch-containing rhizomatic swellings of S. bona-nox are small, widely dispersed, and seemingly impossible to harvest in meal-sized quantities.
I wonder whether the prodigious size of Jackson vine rhizomes is partially the result of thousands of years of selection by native Floridians. They may have delayed hoe-wielding and row crop planting until only 1,000 years ago, but almost certainly promoted the growth of their principal food plants by sparing some portions of harvested rhizomes and transplanting them to convenient places. The dozen catbrier rhizome fragments that I have transplanted over the years have all flourished, sometimes to my dismay. Jackson vine is common near sinkholes, just the sorts of places Amerindians once frequented. I expect that early Floridians selected for genotypes with favorable characteristics, such as low tannin contents. Or perhaps they cultivated lots of different species and when you dined out in Timucuan times, the coontie steward might have offered a range of vintages, each with its own unique taste and bouquet.
References and Further Reading
Austin, D.F. 2004. Florida Ethnobotany. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL. Bartram, W. [1791] 1958. Facsimile in Harper, F., Ed. The Travels of William Bartram, Naturalist’s Edition. Yale University Press, New Haven, CT. Lepofsky, D. and K. Lertzman. 2008. Documenting ancient plant management in the northwest of North America. Botany 86: 129-145.
Small, J.C. 1933. Manual of the Southeastern Flora. University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, NC.
About the Author
Francis E. “Jack” Putz is a professor of conservation biology at the University of Florida, Gainesville, where he teaches courses on the ecology and management of local and tropical ecosystems. His research spans topics from fire ecology and silviculture to experimental archaeology and ethnobotany.
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FNPS Chapters and Representatives
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39. University of Florida ...............Sarah Thompson................ssethom5@ufl.edu
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