Peace Lily

The peace lily (Latin name Spathiphyllum) was elected “desk plant of the year 2007”! The peace lily is the most popular plant to have on your desk while working. The peace lily was elected the No. 1 desk plant because of its ability to refresh the air. The peace lily apparently generates lots of oxygen. The peace lily is the ideal desk plant, a professional jury even said that the peace lily makes you happy when looking at it every now and then.

The peace lily has dark green leaves that can be more than one foot long. The plant is full and uniform, and according to experts it changes sight constantly, which is the reason that it is an interesting plant to look at.  The peace lily has white flowers, or spathes, surrounding a creamy white spadix.

Four other contesters in the race towards becoming the desk plant of the year 2007 were the Chrysalidocarpus, Dracaena "Janet Craig", Chamaedorea and Rhapis. All of these plants were judged on different aspects that would make a good desk plant. The most important aspect, however, was the purifying power of each plant. The peace lily (spathiphyllum) appeared to be able to purify the air from dangerous matters such as formaldehyde and to raise the humidity in the office. The purifying power of the peace lily is confirmed by NASA, where it was proven that the peace lily even purifies the air from cigarette smoke, the smell of printers and smell of gasoline while at the same time adding more oxygen to the air. Besides these interesting qualities, the plant has a friendly sight and a dynamic that makes it a pleasure to look at.

A peace lily is not very difficult to take care of. The peace lily is a tropical plant that finds its origin in Columbia and Venezuela, and was introduced in Europe in 1870. In principal, it exists only in white, although nowadays there are some cultivations in different colours. The peace lily is a plant with tropical roots. In Latin America it grows in the rainforest under the shadow of the trees. The peace lily loves warmth and likes the shadow. It needs to be kept a little moist to prevent it from drying out, but watering it twice a week is good enough. Place the Peace Lily out of direct sunlight and keep it at room temperature.

Spraying the leaves with water every now and then makes the peace lily very happy and prevents the leaves from turning brown. When the white flowers have died out, take them away and wait until the peace lily starts blooming again, usually after 4 to 12 months.

The peace lily can be kept outdoors as well as indoors, although you have to be careful when living in a cold place. The peace lily dies of frost, and therefore should be taken inside whenever it gets a little cold. It is an excellent balcony plant, living room decoration and of course it is the best plant to have in the office when you’re at work.

It is not really difficult to provide proper peace lily care. Read more about Peace Lily Care at the Peace Lily Care page.