Step through the main gate of Zainul Abedin Park on the bank of the Brahmaputra in Mymensingh, and a little way along on the left is a garden behind an iron railing. Among the plants there is the peace lily — the plant that grows happily in low light and has become one of the most popular names in indoor decoration.

The peace lily is also called the snow flower. Its botanical name is Spathiphyllum floribundum and it belongs to the family Araceae. Its restrained looks, easy care and bio-filtering qualities have won it a following among plant lovers worldwide.

The plant's wrapped white leaf bears a visible resemblance to the white flag used as a symbol of surrender or a message of peace. That flag-like inflorescence is where the name 'peace lily' comes from.

Its natural home is the humid tropical rainforest of Central and South America and parts of tropical South East Asia, where it grows freely in damp soil under the shade of large forest trees. Its ability to adapt to poor and low-light conditions is what makes it an ideal houseplant.

The leaves are broad, long and a bright deep green, smooth and glossy on the upper surface. The flower is not a single petal: a milk-white modified leaf wraps around a central spike. Depending on the species, a potted peace lily generally grows one to three feet tall and takes a bushy shape.

Its value is not only visual. According to NASA's clean air research, the peace lily is effective at removing harmful toxins such as benzene, formaldehyde, trichloroethylene and ammonia from indoor air. It also helps maintain humidity.

Care is simple. It needs no direct strong sunlight and does well in indirect indoor light, and a little water when the soil dries out is enough. In a home, an office or a park pavilion, the contrast of the deep green leaves with the milk-white flower brings a certain calm.

Source: Samakal (by Chayan Bikash Bhadra, professor of botany and nature writer)