The genus Zamioculcas (Zamioculcas) includes only one species, Zamioculcas zamielistny (Z. Zamifolia). Sometimes in the literature it is found under the name “Zamiokulkas Loddigesa” (Z. Loddigesii).
Zamioculcas Zamifolia in the photo
Zamioculcas Loddigesii pictured
History
This name was given to the flower in 1856 in honor of its discoverer, exotic plant collector Conrad Loddiges, and existed in scientific circles until the early 20th century. In 1908, the director of the Berlin Botanical Garden, Adolf Engler, first introduced the name “zamiokulkas zamielist”, and since then it has been considered generally accepted.
Professional flower growers call this name a succulent , and its popularity in room culture has given rise to many popular names inspired by appearance, origin or signs associated with it. The plant is known colloquially as the “Zanzibar pearl” or “Zanzibar gem” because of its natural habitat; aroid palm, eternal tree or fat man, due to the original appearance and slow growth inherent in the flower.
It is often called a dollar tree , perhaps because of the shape and color of the leaves, the rather high price, or the property attributed to the succulent to attract banknotes to the house, and it is in American currency. Another common folk name for zamiokulkas, female happiness, is associated with a sign according to which, when the plant blooms, which happens quite rarely at home, her female happiness will finally come to his mistress.
The zamiokulkas flower is very popular in China, they consider it a talisman that brings money luck to the house, and they call it beautifully and solemnly – Chinese New Year festive plant, or Chinese New Year holiday plant.
Varieties of Zamioculcas
There are several varieties of Zamioculcas, which are not distinguished into separate species, but are considered natural variations. This, for example, lanceolate zamiokulkas (Z. Lanceolata), found in Mozambique and characterized by more elongated lanceolate leaf blades, was first described by the German botanist Gustav Albert Peter in 1929.
Previously, another variety was assigned to the genus, Zamiakulkas Boivin (Z. boivinii Decne), also growing in the mountain forests of East Africa and first described in 1870, however, according to modern classification, the plant is assigned to gonatopus, another genus of the aroid family, and is now called gonatopus Boivin (Gonatopus boivinii).
Zamioculcas boivinii Decne pictured
Gonatopus boivinii pictured
Since the flower has been introduced into culture recently, its botanical appearance is mainly found on sale. However, the growing popularity of this houseplant stimulates breeding efforts to create new cultivated forms, and in 2007 the first cultivar, the Zamicro miniature variety , was introduced to the market. Unlike the large zamiokulkas zamioculcas, a natural species that grows up to 1 m, this variety is not higher than 60 cm in height and has smaller graceful leaves.