Unidentified Zamioculcas-Like Object--What Have I Got Here?

I have long been a fan of Zamioculcas zamiifolia, aka the ZZ plant. I've written about my large plant before.  I've had it since 2001, and it is still going strong.

My old favorite Zamioculcas zamiifolia. It has responded to being repotted by
 producing 12 new leaf stalks.

Then, last summer I purchased a new plant, at either Home Depot or Lowe's. (I don't remember which.)  It looks very much like a miniature ZZ. However, upon doing some web-searching, I have been unable to identify this plant. This surprises me, because neither of the above places are known as a source of horticultural oddities.

Unidentified Zamioculcas-like Object, hereafter known as UZLO.

Close up of UZLO, showing new growth very much like
 that of the species ZZ.

UZLO with ruler, to show size.

Zamioculas zamiifolia with ruler, and my husband's arm,
 to show size.  Thanks, Bob!

Searching for dwarf or miniature Zamioculcas, one gets hits for "Zamicro," which has thinner stalks and less succulent leaflets, but isn't smaller in growth habit.  The leaflets are just as large as those of the usual ZZ, and it seems to have the potential to grow just as tall, so I've concluded that my plant isn't one of those.  UZLO is petite, and the leaves are proportional. I considered that maybe I just have a juvenile ZZ, but I have seen pictures of new plants started from standard Zamioculcas leaflets, and the new growth, which has leaflets smaller than those of their parent plants at first, still seems generally larger than those of UZLO. I could be wrong about that, though.

So, I'm putting it out there, in hopes that someone knows what I have. If not, I rather like the name UZLO.

Well, Thank Goodness That's Over!

And by "that" I mean February 2011. I don't know why February was chosen to be the one with 28 days, (yes, I know I can look it up, and I will) but I sure do appreciate it. I don't think I could stand two or three more days of such a horrible month. I've written before, at length, about how much I hate winter weather, and this February was a doozy in that respect. This year was Chicago's snowiest February ever. And that doesn't cover the sleet, freezing rain, and other nastiness. But I've come to take that sort of thing in stride. After all, as long as I've got my health...

Yeah, right. The day after I made my last post here on February 7, I came down with what I thought would be a minor cold. I was feeling somewhat rundown on Thursday, and was sick enough to take it a little bit easy on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. But I rallied enough on Monday the 14th to have a nice Valentine's Day dinner out with my husband. I still had some symptoms, but felt well enough for the next two days. Then that Thursday, a feeling of fatigue hit me like a freight train, followed by what was to become the worst cold I've had in my adult life. I was sick in bed for the rest of the month. I've had the flu in the past, and even that wasn't as bad. Today, I'm still not 100%, but I feel confident that the worst is over.

Things got a bit neglected here among the leaves. Some plants went a bit too long between waterings. The whitefly infestation hit my four hibiscus plants again, badly enough that I've decided not to play around. They are gone, and I'll do my best to replace them this spring and summer. As far as some of my other plants are concerned, I have a bit of damage control ahead of me.

I did get something done before all this hit. In addition to making the new terrarium, and renovating the old ones, I managed to get one of my favorite plants, my 11 year old Zamioculcas zamiifolia, into a new spot, where I could see it and appreciate it more:

Zamioculcas zamiifolia up on a pedestal. In its previous location, it was the victim of naughty kitty Luke, who was trying to get outside by opening the window the ZZ was near. The result is claw holes on several leaflets.

I moved the Monstera deliciosa, which used to be displayed in that spot, to a new location upstairs. I've been having a little trouble with it, and may write about that in future posts, but I expect it to come out fine with a little TLC. It had better. I grew it from a seed and there are few plants in my collection that are dearer to my heart.

In closing this little tale of woe, I want to say that I missed writing for this blog, I'm happy to be back, and here's to a more prolific March.

Seven Years Ago, Today...

I started on the most rewarding journey of my life: My marriage.

The newly-married Karen and Bob share a kiss at their favorite Italian restaurant, May 2, 2003

Then, a couple of days later another journey began: A two-day road trip from New York to Illinois in a rickety U-Haul truck.

Our rented truck in the parking lot of a motel in Indiana. Don't let its looks fool you. That thing could go from zero to 60 in 30 minutes.

View of the packed truck. You can't see them, but there are about 80 plants packed in boxes in there.

Yes, I packed up eighty plants and brought them with me to my new life. Seven years later, I have 30-35 of them left. I was feeling kind of bad about that (45-50 is a lot of dead plants) until I realized how big and mature many of the survivors have become, and how much I've learned about plants and what they need (and what they will and will not put up with) since then. Here are some of the survivors:

Photograph of a plant grouping in my New York apartment, sometime before I moved. All of the Sansevierias, the Dracaeana fragrans and the Epipremnum on the pole are still with me. The Anthurium 'Arizona' lasted about a year before it went into a sudden decline. The Sansevieria trifasciata on the far right is very much bigger now.

Peperomia incana in a 10-inch pot. This was also a very small plant back then.

Crassula ovata

Zamioculcas zamiifolia. It was about a third of this size in 2003

The Dracaena reflexa 'Song of India,' that was featured in a recent post is also one of those that survived and thrived after the move.

I'm hoping that in the next seven years, I can greatly improve my track record in keeping my plants alive and thriving. I already think I am doing better, since the great majority of my plants are at least three years old at this point, with many of them in the 5 years or greater range.

And I'm hoping that in the next seven years, and beyond, I can make my husband half as happy as he has made me in the last seven years. Happy Anniversary, Sweetheart!

It's a Season of Contrasts

I'm on record as saying that I hate winter. And I do. But I cannot deny its beauty. Here is what is going on outside:

My front yard, taken a few days ago during a snow shower

And here is what is going on indoors:

New Monstera deliciosa leaf unfurling

Paphiopedilum flower about to open

Brand new Sansevieria trifasciata leaf, among its older, darker brethren

New Zamioculcas zamiifolia leaf, just beginning to loosen

How's that for ringing in the new, a couple of days early?