ZZ Plant
What Is The ZZ Plant?
With a name like zamioculcas zamiifolia, it isn’t any wonder that we call this beauty the zz plant. Universally considered to be an evergreen species of plant, it can revert to being deciduous during periods of extreme drought, which is quite a remarkable feat for a brainless organism. The smart zz plant has become one of the top three house plants for collectors across North America, but is indigenes to the warmer climates of Central to South Africa. All of this information compiled gives us a tropical, perennial, evergreen, deciduous, herbaceous, flowering plant that people fall over themselves to grow and enjoy. The most common reasons for having a zz plant include beauty and ease of care, as these plants are utterly difficult to kill. The primary reason for thinking twice about having this plant in your home would be the fact that each and every part of it is poisonous.
The flowers of the zz plant are low on the stalk, often overshadowed by the beautiful, rich foliage of it. The blooms are nearly fully encased in a protective leaf pod, allowing a partial view of the bright yellow to amber brown cone-shaped fruit. As the blooms are not considered to be very attractive they are not likely to be harvested into a bouquet. The most fashionable part of the zz plant is the leaf structure. These shiny, almost bulbous leaves are situated in pairs of two, one on each side of the stalk, firm and very green. They begin at the base of the plant and continue all the way to the tip top of the stalk.
The zz plant will not tower, but rather will sustain a height of approximately 60 centimeters. It will become more thick and dense with age, growing new stalks from the same base as it matures. The new stalks will offer a very stark difference in color, as they carry less pigment during this young stage. As they begin to meet with the rest of the stalks they will gain in both size and in green, until they blend perfectly with the rest of the base plant. You may want to repot your zz plant once each two years to allow for root distribution and additional growth spurts.
If you wish to start a new zz plant you may want to play it safe and obtain a fresh cutting from an establish plant. You will need to have some gritty soil and a plastic bag handy when preparing for your new bud. The stalk end of the leaves should be stuck into the soil and the entire small pot wrapped tightly with the plastic bag. The leaves will decompose, but they should leave behind a new seed beneath the soil which can be potted and grown.