Plant Spotlight: Cherokee Bean or Coral Bean

Despite its name, Cherokee Bean (Erythrina herbacea) is not an edible legume.  Parts of the plant are edible, but it is not advisable to eat them unless you really know what you’re doing because it can be toxic.  However, it is one of the prettiest native plants for landscaping.  When it is not blooming, Cherokee …

Plant Spotlight: Coontie

The coontie (Zamia pumilia) is a native Florida plant that many people are probably familliar with, but few can identify by name.  While today the coontie is almost exclusively found in landscaping, it used to be a fairly common wild plant.  Native Americans used to dig up these plants and use their roots to make flour.  European settlers …