Gone Gardenin’ — ZZ plant is the perfect fit for home or office

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This article was published 11/01/2018 (2805 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The perfect house plant might be described as easy care, resistant to pests and diseases, capable of purifying the indoor air around it, and very tolerant of low light levels. Such a plant sounds like it would be virtually indestructible and if it was additionally reputed to be a very attractive sculptural plant, it would sound almost too good to be true.

This description does in fact describe an actual plant that in the last couple of decades has become a very popular plant for offices and other large public spaces as well as among house plant enthusiasts. The plant is Zamioculas zamifolia, but let’s call it the ZZ Plant since few of us will be able to pronounce or spell its Latin name.

The ZZ plant is native to Africa and its range extends from Kenya all the way south to South Africa. Much of this area of Africa is prone to long periods with no rainfall, so it is not surprising that the ZZ plant is very drought tolerant — when used as a house plant it is more often killed by over watering than by lack of water.

It is not an easy plant to kill however, as it is a very undemanding and versatile plant.

It will grow well when located in both strong indirect light or in quite low light. It may not put forth much growth but it will not be negatively affected by the lack of light in a low light environment.

This characteristic makes the ZZ Plant a great office plant or for any other location which does not have a lot of natural light.

It should never be placed in the direct sunlight coming through a window because its leaves would be scorched and the foliage would eventually yellow and curl.

Yellow leaves might also indicate that the plant is getting too much water; the planting medium should be allowed to dry out before it is watered and the soil must not be kept wet. The ZZ plant is also a good plant for the house or the office because it is one of those plants that purify the air.

Plants that remove harmful substances from the surrounding air are great to have in a home or office. The ZZ Plant removes several toxins from the surrounding air, including formaldehyde and nitrogen oxide — both of which might very well be present in an officer environment.

The ZZ plant is grown for its foliage; its oval leaves are dark green, glossy, fleshy and arranged along the stems in a herringbone fashion. The 30 cm long stems are gracefully wand-like as they arch upward away from the center of the plant.

The plant does not develop side branches. The waxy leaves will collect dust over time and an occasional rinse under the shower will benefit the plant by removing any accumulated dust.

The plant has a sculptural quality that is created by its graceful arching stems and looks quite stylish. Some people mistake it for an artificial plant because of its stiff, shiny leaves the wand-like stems are often said to resemble stylized feathers.

Propagating the ZZ plant is easily done by using leaf cuttings. A leaf is detached from the center stem the leaves are attached to the central stem with very little stem. The bottom quarter of the leaf is then buried in a dampened sterile soilless mix.

Tenting the container will conserve moisture because the leaf might take a year to develop roots and send out new growth. One characteristic of the ZZ plant is that it does not do things quickly — in fact at times it appears to do nothing but just sit there.

It doesn’t grow very quickly either and this is particularly true in the winter time and if the light levels are low. The slow growth should not be taken as a sign that the plant is dying however, simply that it is semi-dormant.

The ZZ Plant is sometimes called the Eternity Plant. I wonder if this common name was given to it because it seems to take an eternity to do anything!

The ZZ plant is an ideal specimen plant for the indoor landscape; the stems have a definite vertical growth habit but do arch slightly outward, giving it an architectural quality. A mature plant will develop an urn shape, narrow at the bottom and wider at the top.

A small specimen makes an ideal table top plant, but as it reaches is mature height of over 30 cm it also can be used as a display plant for the floor.

Because it is so slow growing the ZZ Plant will remain attractive and will not need to be refurbished for a long period of time, unlike some other plants that have to be constantly divided and pruned. The plant produces no debris so it is a clean and tidy plant to have in the indoor landscape.

Because the stems arch up and out, suitable companion plants in a plant grouping would be the type that could fit under the ZZ plant’s wand-like stems. A pot of trailing ivy which also tolerates low light would be a good choice.

The ZZ plant grows from tubers located just under the soil and eventually the tubers will become crowded and the plant can be divided by separating some of the tubers from each other. The development of tubers is slow however, and propagation by using a leaf cutting might be the fastest way to get a new plant.

Once you have one ZZ plant you will want a second one because it is such an easy care and versatile house plant. It is one tropical plant that will bring beauty to any interior landscape, whether it be home or office.

Albert Parsons lives, writes, and gardens in Minnedosa.

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