Written by
Sabina
Description
Indirect light
Little
Green
Easy to care for
Directly to
Een mooie, gestileerde vorm in combinatie met een smetteloze reputatie: de Zamioculcas is een hoogstandje in 'design by nature'.
Caring for your ZZ plant
- Although you can place the plant in a spot with little light, it requires sunlight in order to grow. An hour of direct sunlight with indirect light the rest of the time is ideal.
- The soil can be left to dry out a bit between waterings, and the water must be able to drain. The only thing that ZZ plant cannot cope with is wet feet.
- ZZ plant does not like cold; don’t let the temperature drop below 16 °C.
- If you want the plant to grow, repot it into a larger pot in good time.
Colours and shapes
Green, beautiful and virtually indestructible: ZZ plant is first and foremost a fabulous work of nature. This green personality has sturdy, noticeably regular leathery leaves that grow on branches that look a bit like feathers. Despite the sturdy stems, ZZ plant is still classified as herbaceous. Its hardiness is not due to having wood and getting thicker or heavier, it is in fact because of the special veins that store water and nutrients, making it one of the easiest houseplants ever! Light, dark, forgetting to water it - ZZ plants will soldier on regardless, and will remain dutifully green and beautiful without any complaints. If you want more than something green that just stands around, it’s worth investing in your relationship a bit. ZZ plant is not a rapid grower, but that makes a new shoot all the more of a triumph.
Origin
Zamioculcas zamiifolia originates from Tanzania, particularly Zanzibar, but it grows right across central Africa and the east coast. The plant’s natural environment consists of rocky soil in lowlands or the foothills of highlands. It is accustomed to long periods of very dry weather alternating with torrential downpours. During a shower the plant rapidly stores water in its reservoirs in order to be able to draw upon it for weeks if not months. Although ZZ plant has been acknowledged botanically since 1892, it has only been popular as a houseplant for the past 15 years or so. This is thanks to Dutch growers who took up the challenge of cultivating it in 1996.
Symbolism
The meaning of the name Zamioculcas is hard to trace. Culcas is an old name for another genus, Colocasia. The species zamiifolia has leaves that resemble Zamia ferns, and the feathered leaves are characteristic of both plants. It has therefore ended up as a mixture of the two. Zamioculcas is a stoic type: it does not shed, does not grow rapidly and is the embodiment of stability. That Zen-like air means that the plant can provide a helpful focus for meditations, but it’s also known as the ‘green stoner’ amongst students.
Sabina
Redacteur
Sabina combineert haar passie voor bloemen en planten met een talent voor schrijven. Ze vertelt verhalen over hoe groen je huis verrijkt—van weelderige kamerplanten tot expressieve boeketten. Haar tips zijn praktisch en sfeervol, met een creatieve twist. Ze gelooft dat groen niet alleen je huis, maar ook je humeur opfleurt—en daar schrijft ze met liefde over.
