That is a coontie, a florida native and member of the cycad family. They are very tough and can take a fairly wide range of growing conditions. Once established they are drought tolerant and need little to no care. Moving them really depends on the size of the plant. Coonties have tubers that can be fairly small on a young plant to very big on a large well established plant. You should be able to scrape away some of the dirt around the base of the plant to get an idea of the size of the tuber. I would start digging a little way away from the base of the plant and work your way inwards in order to make sure you don't damage the tuber.

Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.floridata.com/ref/z/zam_flor.cfm

It transplants very easily. Water it well for the first few weeks. But don't be suprised if the leaves "lay down" or yellow. This is normal and it will flush out new ones within several weeks.

Does it get tall? Does it keep its branches?

I like the look of it but don't want anything which gets too big.

Jane

Floridata says this, " It is difficult to transplant coontie due to its long tap roots and the operation is rarely successful." On the other hand it seems to grow well in most areas and rarely gets over three feet high.

I don't think that they survive freezes very well, but I'm not sure about this. Floridata says zones 8-10, but I think it grows best in zone 10 or southern Florida.

We call them Coon corn.You can find them in the wild around the coast near here. They do not get very tall maybe about two foot but can get busher. The cold does not hert mine, it will kill the top but it comes back in the spring. I have five that I moved and they were
no trouble at all. One has been moved about 3 or 4 times.

If you have the patience, you can gather the orange fruit when they're ready, should be soon if not already. Do not break the skin on the fruit until you have gloves on as the inside of the fruit is carcinogenic. When you get them home, clean the fruit from the seed, while wearing gloves, as the fruit contains enzymes that inhibit germination. Lightly rough the surface of the seed with some sandpaper and then soak them in a glass of water for 24 hours. Place the seeds in a pot with a moist, sandy mix. And wait. Of the four seeds I planted last year, three sprouted and are now putting out their second fronds. It took 4-6 months for those three to sprout.

Tom, we have coonties all over Jacksonville - unprotected - and they do survive hard freezes. The UNF campus, which specializes in native plants, is full of them.

Carol in Jacksonville