The Zamioculcas has glossy oval leaflets growing in pairs along upright stems. Each leaflet is deep green, smooth and a bit waxy, around 5 to 8cm long. They sit close together all the way up the stem, which gives it a feathered look. The stems come up from the base and arch out a little as they get longer.
Growth & size
It grows from thick underground rhizomes, sending up new stems from the base over time. Each new stem comes up as a single pale spear and opens out its leaflets as it goes. Indoors it gets to around 60 to 90cm tall and spreads about as wide as more stems appear. It is slow, adding a few stems a year, and most of that happens over the New Zealand growing season from October to April.
