Georgia Plant Lovers I need your help!

I am desperately looking for a native Georgia coontie in habitat. I am looking for a botanist friend who is working towords the preservation of this important plant. This plant is North Americas only remaining, living cycad. While the Cycad society has located several colonies of the coontie in Florida it is not known if any still survive in Georgia in their natural habitats. For more information on the plant and how it will look see

http://cycadjungle.8m.com/cycadjungle/The%20Coontie%20of%20Florida.html

and

http://www.plantapalm.com/vce/species/zamia_floridana.htm

Please e-mail me privately if you know where a colony or even a single plant exists in the wild. I will contact my botanist friend and (with your permision) give him your e-mail so he may contact you for help in guieding him to the plant. If you use to know where some were but no longer live in that area please post it so that someone in that area could check and see if any of these plants still exist. This is a very important study and ultimately may lead to the preservation of one of the oldest, if not the oldest living, native plant , in your state. I live in San Antonio Texas so I can only help this way. You are in the very area where a few of these plants should still exist. Any help is greatly appreciated.

George in San Antonio, Cycad society member and coontie nut!

Jester this is very interesting. You might want to post your thread on the Garden Talk forum and also the Texas Forum so a lot of people will see and read it.

Good luck!

thanks Dancey, I guess there really is no Cycad fans in Georgia. Sad.

I love coontie but I have not seen any growing wild in Thomas or Grady county. I'll ask a couple of my friends that work on plantations. I would think that it would do well just over the border on the way to Havana, Florida- that's where the palmettos start. It's a completely different ecosystem.

Best bet would be to have your friend contact the hort departments at ABAC or Valdosta. There is probably someone on campus there who could help. Isn't this one on the endangered or threatened list? Folk tend to be protective of local populations in that case.

Beth

just bumping up this thread in the hopes someone will help.

according to this they only grow along the bottom coast line.

http://plants.usda.gov/java/county?state_name=Georgia&statefips=13&symbol=ZAPU


i have never seen one in my neck of the woods. ty ty nurseries sells them . maybe they have some growing as a display.