Zamioculcas is one of the most famous herbaceous plants of the Aroid family, which takes root perfectly at home. The homeland of Zamioculcas is Southeast Africa, where it is quite often found in shady, dry places. Despite the fact that the plant grows in extreme climates, where heavy rains give way to dry and hot weather, it has managed to adapt very well to different seasons.
The first flowers of a houseplant appear only after a few years, when the zamiokulkas is mature enough. But if you provide proper care at home, zamiokulkas can bloom at a young age.
The structure of a flower is not quite usual – it has a stem, leaves, roots and flowers, but the stem can be not only on the surface, but also hidden in the ground. It received the name corm root or tuber, although in fact it is a stem. Zamiokulkas usually blooms at a fairly mature age, although its flowers are not very expressive and are lost at the base of the leaves.
Zamioculcas zamielifolia was first described by botanists from the Loddiges Nursery in 1829. However, at that time it was referred to as caladium zamielist and only in 1905 it was customary to classify it as a genus of zamiokulkas.
It received its scientific name because of the similarity of the leaves to the zamiya plant, although they do not belong to the same genus. Among the people, the plant has many interesting names, such as: Eternal tree and Aroid palm, Money tree and Zanzibar pearl. It is called the plant of the New Year in China, where Zamioculcas zamielifolia is considered one of the most popular indoor flowers.
Zamioculcas is considered to be an evergreen herbaceous plant, however, under natural conditions, if the dry time lasts for a long time, it can lose all its leaves. During this period, it is stored only underground, where the rhizome feeds on its own starch. Moisture and abundant watering can wake up the plant and the leaves will reappear on the surface.
The flowers of the plant are quite small and inconspicuous, collected in an inflorescence-cob. Since the flowers are unisexual – male and female are usually separated by sterile zones or arranged separately, this prevents self-pollination. Propagated by seeds that are in brown fruits that ripen on the cob after fertilization.