“The one that dresses for the funeral it never needs.”

Raven ZZ Plant

Zamioculcas zamiifolia 'Dowon'

Leaflets so dark they pass for black, on stiff stalks that rise like feathers. Dim corners and missed waterings barely register.

Forever

4.8/5

how easy it is to care for

3.6/5

how much it stands out visually

: Dim to bright

A dim room or a bright one; direct sun can scald it

No window? A small grow light does the trick.

Its best growing comes with plenty of brightness and no direct sun, though it tolerates very low light. Direct rays can scald those near-black leaflets brown.

Indoors, try a spot several feet from an east or west window, beside a south window but out of its beam, or right on a north-facing sill. Where it’s planted outdoors in warm climates, NC State calls for partial to deep shade.

If scorched patches turn up on the leaflets nearest the glass, edge it farther into the room.

In a dim corner it carries on, which is why it turns up so often in commercial interiors (NC State). It’s built for the shady side of things, and it won’t ask you for more.

: Monthly

Twice a month in summer, monthly in winter; skips are fine

Water it, then forget it: a month or so in winter, closer to two weeks in summer. Wet feet are the one thing it won’t take; a skipped turn, it never notices.

Its reserves sit low. The thick, fleshy leaf stalks and the tuber-like rhizome under the soil both bank water, and the waxy leaflets give very little of it back to the air; University of Florida researchers found it can survive 3-4 months unwatered.

Pushed that far, it sheds leaflets and the upper part of each stalk, and the swollen base holds on until rain, or you, return (UF/IFAS). Not pretty, but survivable.

That same rhizome is why rot is the real risk (Clemson Extension): a water bank kept wet starts to break down. Clemson suggests a mix of half potting soil, a quarter perlite, and a quarter sand.

Gone for a while? Six weeks is fine; water it the day you leave and it won’t know you went.

: Medium

Stiff, upright stalks that take years to reach 3 feet

Dark stalks rise 2-3 feet and may spread nearly as wide. Set on a side table against a pale wall, the near-black leaves show best; it needs feeding only once or twice a year.

Its slow pace is inherited. The East African soils it evolved in are poor in nutrients, and it grows slowly to match, even when everything’s right (University of Illinois Extension; UF/IFAS).

Above the soil, there’s no stem at all: each upright 'branch' is one compound leaf rising straight from the rhizome (UF/IFAS). Growers sometimes treat it as a pseudo-⁠bonsai.

A single leaflet can start a whole plant: over a few months it forms roots and then a tiny rhizome of its own (Illinois Extension). Splitting the root mass is quicker.

Because it rises rather than sprawls, it can fill a bookshelf gap or stand beside a doorway where a bushier plant would crowd the path.

: Mildly irritating

Chewing can sting the mouths of dogs, cats, or kids

DogsMildly irritating
CatsMildly irritating
KidsMildly irritating

A chewed leaf can sting a pet’s or child’s mouth and bring on drooling; a bigger helping may mean vomiting or diarrhea that passes. The ASPCA names ZZ among calcium-oxalate plants of low severity.

No major pet poison database lists ZZ; it has the same mouth-stinging crystals as pothos. A Thai poison-centre review records one cat death, a single case.

The irritant is calcium oxalate, carried in the leaves (NC State). In a child, the burn can reach the lips and throat as well as the mouth. Rarely, a pet’s throat may swell, and that is worth a call.

The sap can irritate skin too (NC State’s Raven entry), so gloves are a good idea when you snip leaflets to root.

If symptoms don’t settle, or anything worries you, call Poison Control for a child. For a pet, call your vet or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (a fee may apply).

Its stiff stalks don’t trail or dangle the way vining plants do, which leaves a cat less to bat at. Set it on a stand or dresser above toddler height. A passing nibble is then likely to mean a sore mouth and some drool, and little more.

NC State Extension: mild for kids.

Cats and dogs: No vet database lists it; rated from university extension sources.

Kids: No poison-centre listing; rated from university extension sources.

: Dry OK

68-75°F; dry air is fine

Happiest at 68-75°F, and it shouldn’t sit below 60°F. Keep it away from cold glass in winter. Humidity can drop to 10% without trouble.

Temperature: 68-75°F

: Pest-resistant

Rarely bothered; check new shoots and leaflet undersides

Rarely bothered. Armored scale and whiteflies hide on the leaflet undersides, and mealybugs at the soil line and leaflet joints. Aphids favor soft lime-green shoots, and thrips the unfurling leaflets.

Armored scale
Mealybugs
Aphids
Thrips
Whiteflies

Very few. Growers report hardly any pests or diseases on it; the one real danger is rot from wet soil.

Scale is the pest to watch for: small brown bumps stuck to the stems and leaves. Lift them off with a fingernail or a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol, then check again next week.

Rot shows as a stem going yellow and soft at the base while the soil is still wet. Cut that stem off at the soil, let the pot dry right out, and water less often from then on.

: Some

Turn monthly; feed twice in summer; repot every few years

Turn the pot monthly so every side gets window light. Feed once or twice in spring and summer, and wipe the leaflets with a damp cloth twice a year. Repot in spring when rhizomes crowd, dividing if you like.

Feed2× a year
Rotate12× a year
Clean leaves2× a year

A fast-draining mix in a pot with a drainage hole, snug rather than roomy: extra soil stays wet around the rhizomes. Ordinary potting mix cut half and half with perlite and sand works well.

Repot only when the rhizomes crowd the pot, into a pot one size up, in spring or summer while it’s growing.

Food is optional: a balanced houseplant fertilizer once or twice a year, in spring or summer, is all it uses.

: Suave

Near-black glossy leaflets on upright stalks

Leaflets so dark they pass for black line stiff stalks that rise like feathers. Each one is glossy and waxy, as if lacquered. The plant fills in enough to cover part of the soil.

Fun fact

New leaves unfurl a bright lime green, then darken to the glossy near-black that gave Raven its name, so one plant often wears both colors at once.

Designer tips

Near-black and glossy, it reads modern and a little moody, and it looks best against something pale.

The colorEchoes black steel, iron hardware, and dark leatherIts leaves come up lime and darken to near-black, the same note as black window frames, iron hooks and an old leather chair. Keep the wall behind it pale so the black still reads.

The moodGives a dim, quiet corner a little dramaNear-black leaves read moody and a little luxurious, and it’s one of the few plants that keeps that look in low light. Where lamplight hits it in the evening, the gloss turns to ink.

Pair it withSits under a neon pothos, black against limeIt’s about as far apart as two greens can get, and both are content a few feet from a window. Both are mildly irritating if a dog or cat chews them.

Troubleshooting

How often should I really water it?

About every two weeks in spring and summer and once a month in winter, with the soil drying all the way between. When in doubt, wait: UF/IFAS found ZZ can go 3-4 months without water, and it’s wet soil that does it in.

A stem is turning yellow and soft at the base

Likely too much water, with the rhizome under that stem starting to rot. Cut the stem off at the soil, let the pot dry out completely, and water less often; the rest of the plant usually carries on.

Why are the new leaves bright green?

That’s how it grows. New stems come up lime green, start darkening within a month or two, and turn fully black about a year after they appear (per its plant patent).

See all 9

Can it live in a room with no window?

Yes, if overhead lights or lamps are on for much of the day: UF/IFAS found ZZ still making new leaves after more than a year in very dim interior light. In total darkness, no plant lasts.

My cat chewed a leaf

It’s mildly irritating: calcium-oxalate crystals can leave a sore, drooly mouth, and a bigger helping may bring vomiting that passes; the ASPCA counts ZZ among low-severity oxalate plants. If vomiting keeps up, call your vet or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center.

Why hasn’t it grown in months?

That’s the deal with this one: UF/IFAS says ZZ grows slowly even in ideal conditions. A brighter spot out of the sun’s reach and a warm room speed it up a little; extra water and fertilizer don’t.

Some leaflets look brown or scorched

Sun landing on them through the glass. A spot farther from the window stops it; the marked leaflets stay marked, but new ones come in clean.

Are the dark spots on the stems a problem?

No: Clemson Extension says black spots on ZZ stems are normal. A stem that’s soft or mushy at the base is the one to look at, since that points to too much water.

I’m away for a month

Fine: it can go six weeks, so water it the day you leave and it likely won’t notice you went.

Propagation

Yes, slowly, and every new plant comes up just as black as its parent (its plant patent says it stays true from leaf cuttings).

Division is quickest: when you repot, pull the clump apart into pieces that each have a rhizome and a few stems, and pot them up at the same depth.

Or push a single leaflet halfway into damp mix. It grows a small rhizome of its own, then a first stem. Growers in warm greenhouses get a potted plant from a single leaflet in five to six months; at home, expect it to take longer.