ZZ Plant
Zamioculcas zamiifolia
📖 About this plant
The ultimate indestructible houseplant — a glossy, architectural gem with thick, waxy, dark green leaflets arranged along graceful, arching stems. Its underground potato-like rhizomes store water and nutrients, enabling it to survive months of neglect, drought, and very low light. One of the best plants for offices, dim rooms, and anyone who frequently travels. Its sleek, modern appearance has made it a staple of interior design and one of the most popular houseplants of the 21st century. Excellent at purifying indoor air.
🧑🌾 Care requirements
Low to bright indirect
Every 2-4 weeks
Any (30-50%)
15-28°C
Well-draining, gritty potting mix with perlite, coarse sand, and a small amount of peat; succulent-type mix is ideal
Balanced liquid fertilizer (10-10-10) diluted to half strength every 6-8 weeks during growing season; very light feeder
🌐 Common Names
📋 Plant facts
- 🌍 Origin
- Eastern Africa (Kenya, Tanzania, Zanzibar), southeastern Africa
- 📏 Max height
- 60-90 cm
- 📐 Spread
- 45-90 cm
- 🕰️ Bloom time
- Rarely indoors
- 🎨 Bloom color
- White, Yellow
- 🍃 Foliage color
- Dark Green, Glossy
- ⏳ Lifespan
- Perennial
- 📈 Growth rate
- Slow
- ☠️ Toxicity
- Mildly toxic if ingested — contains calcium oxalate crystals that cause oral irritation, excessive drooling, vomiting, and stomach pain; all parts are toxic if chewed or swallowed; sap can cause skin irritation
- 🌱 Propagation
- Leaf cuttings (individual leaflets with small stem base rooted in moist soil — slow, takes months), division of rhizome clumps, or stem cuttings
🛡️ Health & Safety
Mildly toxic if ingested — contains calcium oxalate crystals that cause oral irritation, excessive drooling, vomiting, and stomach pain; all parts are toxic if chewed or swallowed; sap can cause skin irritation
Common issues
- Root rot from overwatering
- Mealybugs rarely
- Yellowing leaves from too much direct sun
💡 Care tips
- Thrives on neglect and low light
- Store water in rhizomes so err on dry side
- All parts are toxic if ingested by pets
- Wipe leaves with a damp cloth monthly
