Florida arrowroot

Florida arrowroot was the commercial name of an edible starch extracted from Zamia integrifolia (coontie), a small cycad native to North America.

Like other cycads, Zamia integrifolia is poisonous, producing a toxin that affects the gastrointestinal tract and nervous system.

The drained fluid is allowed to dry[citation needed] and the resulting yellowish powder is used in the preparation of various foods.

Commercial production of the starch (using roots gathered from wild plants) occurred in South Florida, from the 1830s until the 1920s.

The starch was sold as Florida arrowroot[1] until the Food and Drug Administration banned the practice in 1925.