Aspidistra Plant Care

Description

• Aspidistras are monocots that produce wide, lance-shaped leaves that grow up vertically from an underground rhizome. The leaves are dark green and leathery and grow up to 24 inches long. The fleshy, bell shaped flowers are inconspicuous and open at soil level. They are pink or purple and if pollinated give way to a single berry. Aspidistras form dense clumps but are very slow growing. There are several cultivars, including Aspidistra elatior variegata with vertical white streaks on the leaves.

Range

• There are over 50 known aspidistra species from China and another 30 from Vietnam although they also grow in India and Taiwan. Aspidistra elatior, the most common species in cultivation, is native to Japan.

Habitat

• Aspidistras are shade loving plants that thrive under a dense canopy and grow in tropical and subtropical forests.

Cultivation

• While the aspidistra is famous as a potted house plant it can also be grown outdoors and is an excellent ground cover species in shaded areas. It grows in USDA Zones 7 to 10 and will tolerate temperatures down to 5 degrees Fahrenheit. It favors loamy, well drained soils with plenty of organic matter but will grow in almost any soil. Plants will grow in the sun but prefer shade and will grow in the dimmest corner of a garden. As a house plant the aspidistra is easy to grow and will thrive almost anywhere. Plants are slow growing and do not mind being pot-bound. For maximum growth, fertilize both outside and potted aspidistras once a month during spring and summer with liquid fertilizer at half the recommended strength. Variegated varieties will lose their white streaks if fertilized.

Propagation

• Aspidistra are easily propagated by division of clumps at the rhizomatous roots in spring. Each new plant should have a section of rhizome and at least one leaf. Plant divided clumps with the rhizomes at least 2 inches below the soil level. They can be grown from seed but take up to 20 years to grow into a sizable plant, adding new leaves at about the rate of two a year in optimal conditions.