Peace lily

Description

Spathiphyllum cochlearispathum is a plant species in the family Araceae. It is native to southern Mexico and often cultivated. When cultivated as a houseplant, Spathiphyllum cochlearispathum is commonly called peace lily. The species was originally described by Frederik Michael Liebmann in a separate genus Hydnostachyon, which he described as having a concave (spoon-like) spathe Spatha foliacea persistens cochleariformis, from which he formed the species epithet cochlearispathum. The species was moved to the genus Spathiphyllum by Heinrich Gustav Adolf Engler. Water only once soil is dry and the plant begins to wilt, then saturate the soil. The peace lily likes light, but absolutely no direct sunlight, not even for short periods. Spathiphyllum is a genus of about 47 species of monocotyledonous flowering plants in the family Araceae, native to tropical regions of the Americas and southeastern Asia. Certain species of Spathiphyllum are commonly known as spath or peace lilies. They are evergreen herbaceous perennial plants with large leaves 12–65 cm long and 3–25 cm broad. The flowers are produced in a spadix, surrounded by a 10–30 cm long, white, yellowish, or greenish spathe. The plant does not need large amounts of light or water to survive. Schott's description of the genus refers to Spatha foliaris persistens, where spatha is a spathe, and foliaris is an adjective modifying spathe, meaning relating to a leaf, and persistens means continuing or persisting. Phyllum also means a leaf. Several species are popular indoor houseplants. It lives best in shade and needs little sunlight to thrive, and is watered approximately once a week. The soil is best left moist but only needs watering if the soil is dry. The NASA Clean Air Study found that Spathiphyllum cleans certain gaseous environmental contaminants, including benzene and formaldehyde. However, subsequent tests have shown this cleaning effect is far too small to be practical. The cultivar 'Mauna Loa' has won the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. Although it is called a "lily", the peace lily is not a true lily from the family Liliaceae. True lilies are highly toxic (poisonous) to cats and dogs, but the peace lily, spathiphyllum is only mildly toxic to humans and other animals when ingested.