zamioculcas _ zz plant _ aroid plant_ philippine medicinal herbs _ alternative medicine

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Family • Araceae

ZamioculcasZamioculcas zamiifolia (Lodd. et al) Engl.

ZZ PLANT Jin qian shu

Scientific names Common names

Zamioculcas zamiifolia Lodd. et al. Aroid palm (Engl.)

Zamioculcas loddigesii Emerald fronds (Engl.)

Zamioculcas lanceolata Golden tree (Engl.)

Caladium zamiaefolium Lodd. et al. Succulent philodendron (Engl.)

Zanzibar gem (Engl.)

Zu Zu plant (Engl.)

ZZ plant (Engl)

Other vernacular names

CHINESE: Jin qian shu.

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General infoZamioculcas is a genus of flowering plant in the Araceae family, with the single species Zamioculcas .

BotanyZu zu plant is an evergreen plant that grows from a stout underground, succulent water-storing rhizome,attaining a height of 45 to 60 centimeters. Leaves are pinnate, 40 to 60 centimeters long, with 6-8 pairs

of leaflets 7 to 15 centimeters long, smooth, shiny and dark green. Flowers are small bright yellow tobrown on bronze spadix 5 centimeters long, partly hidden among the leaf bases.

Distribution

- Common pot cultivation in the Philippines.- Introduced.- Native to eastern Africa, from Kenya to northeastern South Africa.- Wide scale commercial propagation by Dutch nurseries around 1996.

Uses

Folkloric





• No reported folkloric medicinal use in the Philippines.• In the jungles of Ghana, leaves used by shamans to relieve stomach ache.

Others • Considered to have air-purifying property; included in the list of "Plants that Detoxify the Air."

Caution ! All parts of the plant are reported poisonous if ingested.

Studies• Air-purifying: Research studies showed ZZ to be one of the plants most effective in counter-acting off-gassed chemicals and maintaining a balanced internal humidity. (2)• Phytoremediation / BTEX: Zamioculcas has the potential of reducing the concentration of benzene,toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX) from contaminated indoor air. Benzene, a smaller molecule, istaken up by plants faster than toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene. The toxicity of BTEX on plant leaves

and roots was not found. (4)• Xylene Removal: Study evaluated fifteen plant species for removal efficiency of xylene fromcontaminated air. Among the test plants, Z. zamiifolia showed the highest xylene removal efficiency. ( 5)

Counterpoint• Can plants control indoor air pollution?Recent reports in the media and promotions by the decorative houseplant industry characterize plants as"nature's clean air machine", claiming that National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)research shows plants remove indoor air pollutants. While it is true that plants remove carbon dioxidefrom the air, and the ability of plants to remove certain other pollutants from water is the basis for somepollution control methods, the ability of plants to control indoor air pollution is less well established. Most





research to date used small chambers without any air exchange which makes extrapolation to real worldenvironments extremely uncertain. The only available study of the use of plants to control indoor air pollutants in an actual building could not determine any benefit from the use of plants69. As a practicalmeans of pollution control, the plant removal mechanisms appear to be inconsequential compared tocommon ventilation and air exchange rates. In other words, the ability of plants to actually improveindoor air quality is limited in comparison with provision of adequate ventilation. While decorative foliage plants may be aesthetically pleasing, it should be noted that over dampplanter soil conditions may actually promote growth of unhealthy microorganisms. (3)

AvailabilityOrnamental cultivation.

Last Updated July 2014

Photos © Godofredo Stuart / StuartXchange

SOURCES

Additional Sources and Suggested Readings(1)Zamioculcas / AvianWeb(2)Plants that Clean Pollutants out of the Air (3)Indoor Air Pollution: An Introduction for Health Professionals / Can plants control indoor air pollution? /Environmental Protection Agency(4)Phytoremediation of BTEX from Indoor Air by Zamioculcas zamiifolia / Waranat Sriprapat, Paitip

Thiravetyan / Water Air and Soil Pollution (Impact Factor: 1.75). 224(3). / DOI: 10.1007/s11270-013-14828(5)Factors affecting xylene-contaminated air removal by the ornamental plant Zamioculcas zamiifolia. /BioMed Search.com

It is not uncommon for links on studies/sources to change. Copying and pasting the information on the search window or using theDOI (if available) will often redirect to the new link page.

•Latest Updated Tagalog and English Lists of Philippine Medicinal Plants

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http://www.biomedsearch.com/nih/Factors-affecting-xylene-contaminated-air/24091527.html

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/257673816_Phytoremediation_of_BTEX_from_Indoor_Air_by_Zamioculcas_zamiifolia

http://www.avianweb.com/bestplantstocleanindoorair.html

http://www.avianweb.com/bestplantstocleanindoorair.html

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zamioculcas _ zz plant _ aroid plant_ philippine medicinal herbs _ alternative medicine

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