Zamioculcas Zamiifola
I’ve found another cast iron house plant!
Zamioculcas Zamiifola
This guy was in the green house at my favorite nursery. A beautiful plant about a foot tall, with spreading stems covered in shiny dark green leaves. I’ve had it for a few months now and, truth be told, I kind of forgot about it. I stuck it in an empty fish tank to hang out while I found a place for it. The ZZ plant, r Zanzibar Gem, as it’s sometimes called, is poisonous when eaten, roots to leaf tips, so I had to hide it from pesky cat I share my house with. Things got busy around Spring, and before I knew it, Summer was here. I forgot all about the poor neglected ZZ plant in the empty fish tank. I went back and pulled it out, expecting it to fall apart when I touched it. Much to my surprise, it had shot up a few inches taller and sent off four new shoots of leaves!
New shoots of leaves. They come out rolled up tightly, then unfurl and darken as they mature.
This plant tolerates neglect well, to say the least. They are native to Africa, along coastal regions where the temperature never goes below 65 degrees Fahrenheit and never goes above 85. I have been doing research about them since I thought I nearly killed mine, only to have it thrive under a low light, low water condition for several months. (I believe I watered it once or twice in a 4 month period). Turns out, they store water like the succulent plants do. The structure of this plant is built for storage. The bases of the stems swell and retain water, this is where the flowers show themselves late in the warm season. At the bottom of the plant is a potato-like organ that stores water and releases it as the plant needs it to grow.
Water storage units of the ZZ plant. Note the potato like organ buried in the soil, and the swollen stem bases.
I don’t know if the ZZ is actually classified as a succulent, but because it stores water, it should be treated like one. Over watering can cause root rot, so err on the side of less water. I may mist this one occasionally. It was in a fish tank with soil in the bottom for that neglect period I mentioned. It was still in the plastic pot from the nursery. Terrariums hold much moisture, so perhaps the humidity around the plant helped it. It’s best to let the soil dry thoroughly before dousing it again.
I put mine in terra cotta pot, and set it on a ledge on my porch. It gets Northern sun there, which is perfect. They like shady conditions with dappled or otherwise limited light. Direct sunlight can cause burns on the leaves, and at the least will cause the plant to lose color. When the weather gets very hot this Summer, I will bring it back inside. High temperatures will cause the plant to wilt. I used normal potting soil with a thick layer of gravel at the bottom of the pot for good drainage.
These tough little guys are long lived and I hope to keep neglecting this one for a very long time 