Aspidistra Elatior

Nicknamed the “Cast Iron Plant” for being near indestructible, and it lives up to its near being an extremely hardy plant for any household. It is fully capable of dealing with poor light, murky conditions as well as poor air quality, warm or cold temperatures. The large paddle shaped leaves are often a dark shade of green and growing slowly it produces only a few new leaves a year. The main advantage of this is that it won't outgrow the location you choose for it for many years giving it potential for incredible longevity.

Light and Water

When it comes to the light requirements for an Aspidistra it's very easy to get right. Providing it can pretty much deal with any light it's given. While difficult to kill generally, it won't survive direct sunshine (bright light is fine). So, aim for a north facing window, or a shady / bright position deeper into a room with other facing aspects.

The Aspidistra's cast iron nature means it will deal with sporadic occasional watering easily and can work around dry soil. This houseplant is not a cactus though, so to really thrive it does need a reasonable amount of water during the growing season, although you'll need to let it dry out between watering's. The soil should only ever be moist, never soaked or sodden. In the Winter months just enough is needed to keep it ticking over.