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ZZ plant: toxicity, first aid and care

ZZ plant (Zamioculcas zamiifolia): irritant for cats, irritant for dogs, irritant for small children. The toxic principle, the signs, what to do, and how to grow it.

Cats: IrritantDogs: IrritantChildren: Irritant

Zamioculcas zamiifoliabotanical name

Araceaefamily

House plantwhere you meet it

Irritantrisk band

Also sold as: Zanzibar gem, eternity plant, emerald palm.

This is a reference table, not a diagnosis and not veterinary or medical advice. It cannot tell you how much of a plant matters for a particular child or a particular animal — that depends on body weight, on the part eaten and on how long ago. If a person or an animal has eaten part of a plant, phone the poison information centre or a clinician; do not wait for symptoms, and do not make anyone vomit unless you are told to.

What is in it

Toxic principle: Insoluble calcium oxalate raphides — Calcium oxalate needles.

An aroid despite looking nothing like one, with the same oxalate needles in leaf and stem. The internet folklore that the ZZ plant is so poisonous it should be handled with gloves and kept out of the house is wrong: the veterinary lists put it with the other oxalate plants, as an irritant, not with the cardiac glycosides.

What it looks like when it goes wrong

Drooling, mouth discomfort, occasional vomiting after a real chew. Sap on skin can itch in sensitive people, which is a reason to wash your hands after taking cuttings rather than a reason to fear the plant.

What to do

Rinse the mouth, offer milk or yoghurt, and watch. A veterinary call is warranted if drooling continues or the animal cannot swallow comfortably.

Poison information centres in the Nordic and Baltic region
Country	Poison information centre	Number	Hours
Estonia	Mürgistusteabekeskus (Health Board)	16662	Round the clock; 112 for an emergency
Finland	Myrkytystietokeskus (HUS)	0800 147 111	Free, round the clock
Latvia	Saindēšanās un zāļu informācijas centrs	67042473	Round the clock
Sweden	Giftinformationscentralen	010-456 67 00	Non-urgent advice; 112 in an emergency
Norway	Giftinformasjonen	22 59 13 00	Round the clock
Denmark	Giftlinjen (Bispebjerg Hospital)	82 12 12 12	Round the clock

Anywhere in the European Union, 112 reaches emergency services and can put you through. Lithuania's poison information bureau (Apsinuodijimų kontrolės ir informacijos biuras) publishes its own round-the-clock line; if you do not have it to hand, use 112. For an animal, your own veterinary clinic or its out-of-hours service is the first call — human poison centres do not advise on animals in every country.

How to grow it

Growing conditions for ZZ plant
Condition	What it wants
Light	Anything: it grows in bright indirect light and survives deep shade
Water	Every few weeks — it stores water in potato-like rhizomes
Temperature	15-26 °C; tolerates dry air without complaint

The most drought-proof foliage plant commonly sold. Its rhizomes hold enough water that it will forgive a month of neglect and will not forgive a fortnight of enthusiasm; overwatering turns the stems yellow and mushy from the base. Propagate by breaking a rhizome off with a stem attached, or by laying single leaflets on damp mix and waiting several months.

What it gets confused with

The near-black cultivar sold as "Raven" is the same plant and the same chemistry — new growth emerges bright green and darkens. Its waxy artificial look also means visitors regularly try to check whether it is real, which is another reason it collects fingerprints and dust.

A plant that is not on the toxic lists

If you are deciding what to keep in a home with a cat, a dog or a small child, this one fills a similar role and is not flagged by the veterinary services.

Peperomia

Medium to bright indirect light. Let the top half dry; the fleshy leaves store water.

Not on the veterinary toxic lists