How to Grow and Care for Cast-Iron Plants (Aspidistra Elatior)

Cast-iron plant might sound like a strange name for a tropical evergreen, but once you realize how exceptionally tough this plant is, you’ll understand the label.

Aspidistra elatior is incredibly tolerant of neglect. Drought barely phases it, low light isn’t a problem, and a lack of fertilizer is no big deal.

It’s rarely troubled by pests or diseases, and when it is, it shrugs them off without much trouble.

In fact, this plant’s only weaknesses seem to be full sun and soggy soil. And even direct sun probably won’t kill it, though it will burn the leaves.

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I’m sure I sound like I’m the head of the cast-iron plant fan club here, but it’s really hard not to love a plant that keeps on truckin’ no matter what’s thrown at it.

If you can’t wait to jump in and learn more, here’s what we’ll discuss coming up:

If you’re tired of pampering your houseplants only to have them fail on you time and again, cast-iron plants are the antidote to a brown thumb. Here we go!

The cast-iron plant (Aspidistra elatior) is native to Taiwan and the southern islands of Japan, where it grows in the understory of the forest. It features long, tapered leaves that are glossy green, sometimes with stripes or spots.

It produces strange-looking purple flowers that emerge out of the rhizome at ground level, but this rarely happens indoors. If it does, lean down close to the soil and give the flower a sniff. It smells kinda musty, a lot like a mushroom.

If you’re wondering why on earth a plant would send a stinky flower out of the soil, this is because it’s trying to