Peace Lily Plant

The peace lily is an evergreen tropical plant, native to South America and Southeast Asia. Though not as common as it is in these regions, this plant species is also found in some regions of central America. The fact that this plant is mildly toxic in nature, doesn't really keep people back from choosing it as a houseplant, and a large part of the credit for this goes to its appearance alone.

Peace Lily

The peace lily belongs to the Araceae family of plants, wherein it shares space with 40 other species of monocotyledonous flowering plants. Though it is most often referred to as the peace lily, its scientific name is Spathiphyllum. The colloquial name 'peace lily' can be attributed to the appearance of its flower, which resembles the white flag - the symbol of peace, to a great extent. These plants have glossy leaves, which are about 12-65 cm in length and 3-25 cm in width. Unlike the other species of lilies, peace lily flower is basically a single white leaf loosely wrapped around the spathe. These flowers start growing when the plant gets matured. There is no specific growing season as such, and thus blooming of flowers may occur anytime during the year.

Peace Lily Plant Care

The fact that this plant doesn't require much attention makes this plant one of the most popular houseplant in the region where it is found. Though it doesn't require any specific type of soil, peace lily plant grows well in soil with peat moss and sand. The ideal temperature ranges between 68°F to 85°F. This plant naturally grows in tropical forests, wherein huge trees make it difficult for the sunlight to penetrate down to the forest floor. Owing to this, the peace lily species have adapted themselves to grow well in environment with limited sunlight.

Other than minimal requirement of sunlight, peace lily also requires comparatively less water, which is again a boon when it comes to peace lily care. Watering the plant once in a week, if the soil has the ability to retain moisture, is more than enough. However, if the moisture retention capacity of the soil is low, then you will have to ensure that the soil doesn't become too dry. Like too much of dryness, even too much of water logging can result in several problems like yellowing of leaves and burning of roots. These problems can also occur if fertilizers are used in excess.

Is Peace Lily Poisonous?

The species is mildly toxic, with effects ranging from minor problems such as diarrhea and vomiting, to more serious problems such as hypocalcaemia and renal failure. If you intend to grow these species, you need to be a bit careful, especially when you have children or pets in the house. The toxicity of this plant can be attributed to the oxalate crystals, which tend to bind with calcium when they get absorbed into the blood. This in turn leads to deficiency of calcium in the body, and leads to poisoning.

In a recent study by NASA, peace lily was enlisted as one of the ten indoor plants that clean air within a closed environment to improve the quality of air we get to breathe.