Zamioculcas zenzi

Zamioculcas is a genus of flowering plants in the family Araceae, containing the single species Zamioculcas zamiifolia. It is a tropical herbaceous perennial plant, and is native to eastern Africa, including Kenya, KwaZulu-Natal, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe. Its common names include Zanzibar gem, ZZ plant, Zuzu plant, aroid palm, eternity plant and emerald palm. It is commonly grown as a houseplant, mainly because it has attractive glossy foliage and is easy to care for. Zamioculcas zamiifolia is winter-hardy in USDA Zones 9 and 10.

Description

Vegetative characteristics

It is a terrestrial, succulent, slowly growing, poisonous, evergreen, rhizomatous, perennial herb with erect, pinnately compound, 40–60 cm long leaves bearing 6–8 leaflet pairs. The petiole is thick. It has a large bulbous, fleshy, potato-like rhizome.

Generative characteristics

The flowers are produced in a small, bright yellow to brown or bronze spadix 5–7 cm (2–3 in) long and wrapped in a yellow-green spathe. The whole inflorescence is partly hidden among the branch bases. Flowering is from midsummer to early autumn.