Zamioculcas

Species of plant

Zamioculcas is a genus of flowering plants in the family Araceae, containing the single species Zamioculcas zamiifolia. It is a tropical herbaceous perennial plant, native to eastern Africa including Kenya, KwaZulu Natal, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe. It is grown as a houseplant mainly for its attractive glossy foliage and easy care. Zamioculcas zamiifolia is winter hardy to USDA Zones 9–10. Dutch nurseries started wide scale, commercial propagation of the plant around 1996. It was first described as Caladium zamiifolium by Loddiges in 1829, but moved to the genus Zamioculcas by Heinrich Wilhelm Schott and given its established name, Zamioculcas zamiifolia, by Adolf Engler.

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 “culcas” or “colcas” (from an ancient Middle Eastern name), and which is named qolqas (, ) in Arabic. Botanical synonyms include Caladium zamiaefolium, Zamioculcas loddigesii and Z. lanceolata. The species name Zamiifolia means "leaves like Zamia" and is formed from the botanical name Zamia and the Latin word folium, "leaf."

It is an herbaceous perennial growing to tall, from a stout, underground, succulent rhizome. It is normally evergreen but becomes deciduous during drought, surviving drought due to the large potato like rhizome that stores water until rainfall resumes. The most visible "branches" are actually smooth, shiny, dark green, pinnately compound leaves. These are long, with swollen, succulent petioles and 6–8 pairs of leaflets, each long. Zamioculcas zamiifolia grows slowly, reaching heights and widths ranging from .

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.

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 (chlorosis), 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. For indoor plants, use a well drained potting soil mix. 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.

Zamioculcas zamiifolia contains acylated C glycosylflavone apigenin 6 C (6″ O (3 hydroxy 3 methylglutaroyl) β glucopyranoside).

Zamioculcas zamiifolia is part of the family Araceae, which includes many poisonous genera, such as Philodendron, Monstera, Anthurium, Dieffenbachia, Aglaonema and Spathiphyllum, all of which contain insoluble calcium oxalate. An initial toxicological experiment, conducted by the University of Bergen in 2015, on extracts from Z. zamiifolia (using brine shrimp as a lethality assay), did not indicate lethality to the shrimp, even at concentrations of extracts up to 1 mg/mL. The scientists conducting the experiment observed that, " On the contrary, it could appear as though the extract contributed to improvements in the vitality of the larvae".