Seminole bread
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun 1. A cycad plant: "Seminole bread" is the common name for a specific, small, tough, woody cycad plant (Zamia integrifolia or Zamia floridana) native to Florida, the West Indies, and Cuba. 2. A source of edible starch: Historically, the roots and partially buried stems of this plant were processed by the Seminole people and others to yield a type of arrowroot or starch used for food.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- The Seminole bread is a hardy plant that grows in sandy soils.
- Archaeological evidence shows that the Seminole bread plant was an important food source.
- The starch extracted from Seminole bread was used to make a type of bread.
Advanced Usage
- Historical/Botanical Context: The term is primarily used in historical, anthropological, or botanical contexts to refer to the plant and its traditional use. It is not a term for modern food items.
- The survival skill involved knowing how to safely process the toxic compounds in Seminole bread to obtain edible starch.
Variants and Related Words
- Coontie (n): Another common name for the same plant ().
- The coontie is often used in native Florida landscaping.
- Florida arrowroot (n): A name referring to the starch produced from this plant.
- The production of Florida arrowroot from the plant declined in the 20th century.
Synonyms
- Zamia (n): The botanical genus name for this and related plants.
- Several zamia species are popular in ornamental horticulture.
Noun
- small tough woody zamia of Florida and West Indies and Cuba; roots and half-buried stems yield an arrowroot