Many gardeners who grow zamioculcas often have a question - how does this plant bloom and whether it blooms at all. The flowering of zamiokulkas is an infrequent phenomenon, even in nature. Moreover, it rarely happens in indoor floriculture.
Flower ear
This showy plant is prized for its decorative glossy leaves. Some do not even suspect that it can also bloom. Nevertheless, zamioculcas blooms in a very curious way. Its flowers, from an aesthetic point of view, are of no particular value. They are small, inconspicuous, of a light, off-white color, collected in an inflorescence that resembles an ear of corn (which, in general, is characteristic of representatives of the aroid family, which includes the zamioculcas).
It is interesting that flowers of different sexes are located on the inflorescence-cob in different places - female - below, male - above. Between them is the "border zone" of sterile flowers. It is for this reason that self-pollination of the inflorescence of zamiokulkas is impossible.
Outside, the flower-cob is covered with a "veil" in the form of an underdeveloped leaf, 5-8 cm long. This leaf is difficult to distinguish among the foliage, since in color it is similar to a developed young leaf of zamiokulkas.
The nondescriptness of the flower has its own explanation. In nature, the flower is pollinated by wind or insects, but not flying, but crawling. Therefore, it does not need beauty and fragrant aroma to attract pollinators. And for the convenience of crawling insects, the inflorescence is formed low, directly from the tuber, at a distance of 3-5 centimeters from the soil surface.
Moreover, if at first the flower-cob grows upwards, then as it grows it begins to bend to the ground and finishes flowering almost lying on the soil surface. After fertilization of the female flowers, brown berries are formed, which contain seeds. They ripen, spill out on the ground. This is how zamioculcas multiplies in nature. In a flower pot, the seeds usually do not ripen.
How to make zamioculcas bloom
Those who want to certainly achieve the flowering of zamiokulkas in the apartment must create certain conditions for the plant. Light, water and thermal conditions should be optimally close to natural ones. Zamioculcas is native to the desert African expanses and rocky plateaus. It grows poorly and will definitely not bloom on the northern windows. For flowering, it needs enough light, infrequent watering, from April to August, twice a month, feeding for cacti and succulents, rubbing or washing the leaves and a moderate temperature (optimally + 18-20 ° C).
If you do not wait for its flowering, zamiokulkas is one of the most unpretentious and unusual indoor plants in decorative terms, capable of decorating any interior.
