Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Unfinished business: Zamioculcas zamiifolia 'Mini'

In the Zamioculcas zamiifolia profile, I mentioned the existence of a 'Mini' cultivar. (I called it 'Zamicro,' because that's the name the article I found mentioned, but I think 'Mini' is the same thing, or at least close to it.) Didn't have pictures, still haven't seen one in person, but I have a picture second-hand from Florida to show y'all. 'Mini' is on the left, and the regular ZZ plant is on the right.

Photo: B.J. Knapp. Used by permission. Click for larger view.

We're going to be getting some of these at some point (Juneish?), I'm pretty sure, though from the photo I can't really tell whether I'll like them or not. I was expecting just a ZZ, but smaller: this actually has leaflets about the same size as usual, but the growth habit is slightly different. I must have one, but I'm not sure if I like it necessarily. Though I don't hate it either. I don't know. What do y'all think?


13 comments:

Anonymous said...

I believe I prefer the regular Zamioculcas z., because what makes them interesting to me is the way the leaves are growing closely, upright, and their color. I have never seen a 'Mini', but from the picture I see it lacks both these charming caracteristics from the regular, thus to me the 'Mini' looks more like an average ordinary foliage bearing plant, like lacking a bit of personality. Although I guess I can't really tell only from a picture, but that's my impression.

Anonymous said...

I'm not horribly impressed. The leaves seem a bit splayed. I like the tidyness of the regular ZZ much better.

Anonymous said...

The picture isn't wowing me; I think I'd also need to see the plant in person to judge. I love the regular ZZ; it is one of my favorite plants, both for its looks and its relative ease of care. My personal plant is quite large, but its size is not a problem for me.

I wouldn't need a miniature, but since when is need a criteria for acquiring a new plant? ;-)

Anonymous said...

A "criteria"?" Bad Karen! I meant "criterion."

Snazzy_Sara said...

I like the zz plant mostly for its uniformity, which the mini version seems to seriously lack. I would probably like the mini version better if I didn't know it to be a cultivar of a (IMO) much better looking plant.

mr_subjunctive said...

I suspect that the regular plant might have just had a big growth spurt before the picture was taken, and therefore might be lighter and more compact. In my experience, the regular ones eventually spread the leaflets out too. So I don't know that the comparison is necessarily fair.

That's part of why I want to bring some in to work: so I can see the two of them side-by-side for myself.

Anonymous said...

I hate it.

The 'Mini' is the one in the white pot, right? I don't see what is 'Mini' about it. Those leaves look huge compare to the normal one.

mr_subjunctive said...

Yes, 'Mini' is the one in the white pot.

Well, I looked around on-line and there's nobody out there mentioning 'Mini' except me, though that's what the supplier called it. 'Zamicro' is supposed to both have smaller leaflets and have a smaller overall size.

I'll ask our supplier and see what she says about it. Maybe she can get a better picture, or explain the difference better, or something.

Ann, Chen Jie Xue 陈洁雪 said...

What scientist or botanist gave such a name? I will certainly fail this test.

The people in Singapore call it the FA CAI SU, meaning get rich tree. A very auspicious plant to have during the Chinese New Year.

Ali said...

I "accidentally" broke off a stalk at work from a ZZ plant and took it home to root in soil. for the longest time it did nothing, and i almost gave up on it, but kept the faith since the leaves didnt wilt and die on me, just recently i noticed 4 timy beige pointy things coming out of the soil. it has been almost 8 months since i put it in soil. im real excited!

Anonymous said...

Quite disappointed in all honesty. I had expected the more standard look but on a much smaller plant. The 'look' of the "mini" doesn't appeal to me at all. The leaves are large and, as has been mentioned, lacks the character of the standard ZZ

Anonymous said...

Counterpoint: From what I can see, I like it. One "problem" with Z. zamifolia that I have is its upright form. If you place it on a desk (like me) or on any elevated surface you don't get to see the top sides of the leaves. It looks like this won't be a problem for this new cultivar.

Anonymous said...

Ever see the ZZ Plant Variegated? I have one (I live in NJ). I also bought it on EBAY from a seller in Bangkok, Thailand. Easy to grow & super pretty plant. Any questions, you can em,ail me at JerusalemCherry@gmail.com