Zamioculcas
Zamioculcas is a genus of flowering plants in the family Araceae, containing the single species Zamioculcas zamiifolia. It is a tropical herbaceous perennial plant, and is native to eastern Africa, including Kenya, KwaZulu-Natal, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe. Its common names include Zanzibar gem, ZZ plant, Zuzu plant, aroid palm, eternity plant and emerald palm. It is commonly grown as a houseplant, mainly because it has attractive glossy foliage and is easy to care for. Zamioculcas zamiifolia is winter-hardy in USDA Zones 9 and 10.
Description
Vegetative characteristics
It is a terrestrial, succulent, slowly growing, poisonous, evergreen, rhizomatous, perennial herb with erect, pinnately compound, 40–60 cm long leaves bearing 6–8 leaflet pairs. The petiole is thick. It has a large bulbous, fleshy, potato-like rhizome.Generative characteristics
The flowers are produced in a small, bright yellow to brown or bronze spadix long and wrapped in a yellow-green spathe; the whole inflorescence is partly hidden among the branch bases. Flowering is from midsummer to early autumn.Chromosome count
The chromosome count is 2n = 34.Taxonomy
It was first described as Caladium zamiifolium by Conrad Loddiges in 1829. It was placed into a new monotypic genus Zamioculcas as Zamioculcas zamiifolia by Adolf Engler in 1905.Etymology
The genus Zamioculcas derives its name from the similarity of its foliage to that of the cycad genus Zamia and its kinship to the Araceae genus Colocasia, whose name comes from the word "" or "", Arabic qolqas, i.e. taro.The species name zamiifolia means "leaves like Zamia" and is formed from the botanical name Zamia and the Latin word folium, "leaf".
Distribution and habitat
It is native to Kenya, South Africa, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe.Conservation
In South Africa, its national conservation status is Least Concern.Cultivation
It is cultivated as a houseplant. Dutch nurseries began wide-scale commercial propagation of the plant around 1996.Cultivars
- Zamioculcas zamiifolia 'HANSOTI13,' commercially known as 'Zenzi'
- Zamioculcas zamiifolia 'Dowon,' commercially known as 'Raven', is licensed by .
- Zamioculcas zamiifolia 'Super Nova'
- Zamioculcas zamiifolia 'Chameleon'
Temperature
Propagation
Zamioculcas zamiifolia may be propagated by leaf cuttings: typically, the lower ends of detached leaves are inserted into a moist, gritty growing medium, and the pot is enclosed in a polythene bag. Though the leaves may well decay, succulent bulb-like structures should form in the bag, and these may be potted up to produce new plants. The process may take upwards of one year. The plant can also be propagated by division.Light
Due to its strong green leaves, it is especially suitable for open, bright rooms. When grown indoors, the plant prefers bright indirect light but will tolerate low light conditions. However, lower light is not optimal for an extended period of time. Insufficient amounts of sunlight can result in leaves lengthening and/or falling off, yellowing, and generally uneven or disproportionate growth as the plant stretches towards a light source. When grown outdoors, Zamioculcas zamiifolia prefers part shade to full shade.Soil
The substrate used must be well-drained and contain nutrients. It can be composed of a mixture of tanned ox manure, washed river sand and red earth. For indoor plants, use a well-drained potting soil mix.Water
Zamioculcas zamiifolia contains 91% water in the leaves, and 95% water in the petioles. It has an individual leaf longevity of at least six months, which may be the reason it can survive extremely well under interior low light levels for four months without water. Zamioculcas zamiifolia roots are rhizomatous and have the ability to store moisture, thus aiding the plants in their drought resistance. The plants like regular waterings, but the soil should be allowed to dry out between waterings.Usage in traditional medicine
Though little information is available, Z. zamiifolia is apparently used medicinally in the Mulanje District of Malawi and in the East Usambara mountains of Tanzania where juice from the leaves is used to treat earache.In Tanzania, a poultice of bruised plant material from Z. zamiifolia is used as a treatment for the inflammatory condition known as "mshipa".
Roots from Z. zamiifolia are used as a local application to treat ulceration by the Sukuma people in north-western Tanzania.