Tropical Houseplants to Grow Indoor
Tropical houseplants, as their name suggests, are plants grown all year round indoors. In milder plant hardiness zones, where temperatures remain above freezing year-round and there is no risk of frost, some of these tropical houseplants may also be grown in an outdoor garden if conditions allow.
Let’s have a closer look at the different types of tropical houseplants and how to choose the best ones for your indoor garden.
Learning Objectives
- What are tropical houseplants
- Different types of tropical houseplants
- Choosing tropical houseplants for an indoor garden
Table of Contents
What Are Tropical Houseplants
The term “tropical houseplant” refers to plants that are native to warm tropical regions around the globe and, in cooler regions, are traditionally grown indoors. Some are grown for their lush or colorful foliage while others produce beautiful flowers.
As their name suggests, tropical houseplants are native to the world’s warm and humid tropical regions. Many of them grow in the understory of rainforests with lower light levels or in dappled sunlight. Some are vigorous vines (e.g philodendrons) that climb high up into the trees, while others grow without soil (epiphytes) in the crevices of taller plants.
Tropical houseplants are generally grown for their lush foliage. In addition to attractive foliage, many of them also flower. Flowering will only occur when the growing conditions are just right – which can sometimes be difficult to achieve. As a result, many tropical houseplants don’t produce flowers.
There is another group of plants popular as houseplants, collectively known as succulents. They have thick fleshy leaves that store moisture, so they can go long periods without being watered. This plant group includes cacti, hens n’ chicks, and aloe vera.
While most succulents are native to hot arid (dry) regions, there are a few whose natural habitats are tropical regions, including the popular snakeplant (Sansevieria), Thanksgiving cactus (Schlumbergera truncata) or Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera x buckleyi), hoya and air plants (Tillandsia).
How to Choose Tropical Houseplants To Match The Conditions
No matter what you want to achieve with your indoor garden, there’s sure to be a tropical houseplant to meet your needs. Do you want to enhance a large space with a statement piece full of beautiful foliage or brighten up a room with colorful foliage or flowers? There are lots of choices, no matter where you want to put your plants indoors.
When choosing tropicals for your indoor garden, keep in mind the growing conditions you can provide for them. For example, if you have your heart set on flowering tropicals, you’ll either need windows that can provide plenty of sunlight or, more likely, be prepared to invest in a setup of artificial plant lights instead.
Here are some choices for different spaces in your home. (NOTE: If you have small children or pets, always research the toxicity of any plant you want to grow indoors.)
Plants for Bright Light
Most tropical houseplants require bright indirect sun. This means they like bright light without having the sun shining directly on their leaves for extended periods. Places in the home for these plants include spots a few feet back from windows that get several hours of direct sun (e.g., south or west-facing) or in north-facing windows that don’t get direct sun.
The following are some popular tropical houseplants for bright light:
- Umbrella tree (Schefflera sp): The umbrella tree gets its common name from the shape of its foliage; one leaf is made up of several long oval leaflets that radiate from a central stem like the ribs of an umbrella. Some varieties have green foliage, and some are variegated (two-toned). Schefflera prefer bright indirect light. They are very easy-care plants and can quickly grow to several feet tall and wide.
- Japanese aralia (Fatsia japonica): Japanese aralia – usually just called fatsia – is a large-leafed tropical, native to Japan and South Korea. With its glossy lush foliage and overall size, fatsia adds a bold tropical statement to any room. It prefers bright indirect light (no strong direct sunlight) but can tolerate lower light conditions. An east-facing window would be a good spot for fatsia to thrive. Fatsia is a slow-growing plant, eventually reaching 6 feet (2m) tall and 3 feet (1 m) wide. Fatsia is similar to Schefflera but has bigger, fuller-looking leaves and denser overall growth.
- Bromeliads: These exotic-looking plants are grown for their long-lasting flowers as well as the eye-catching foliage of many species. The flowers last for several weeks to months, but it can be challenging to get the plants to rebloom. These plants are epiphytes; in their natural habitat, they grow in the crevices of tree branches, rather than in soil. As a result, when grown in containers, they need a very loose potting medium and are watered by pouring water onto the crown of the plant, where the central base of the leaves forms a cup-shape to trap moisture.
- Philodendron: There are two types of philodendron: Climbers and non-climbers. The climbers need some sort of support for their long trailing stems, or can be grown in a hanging basket or on top of a bookcase where their stems are left to trail down. The non-climbers are upright and can support themselves. They have large, deeply lobed leaves and can grow into substantial specimens.
- Anthurium: These flowering plants, sometimes called Flamingo flowers, add a distinctly tropical look to a room. They have medium to large heart-shaped glossy leaves. Their flowers are made up of a flat modified colored leaf called a “spathe” that surrounds the base of the actual finger-shaped flower spike. Spathes can be red, pink, or white, depending on the variety. These spathes and flowers can last for several weeks in the right growing conditions. Anthuriums prefer high humidity and make good choices for bathrooms with brightly lit windows.
Tropical Houseplants for Direct Sun
While most tropicals prefer bright indirect light, there are a few that need some direct sunlight:
- Norfolk Pine (Araucaria heterophylla): The Norfolk Pine isn’t a true pine; it’s a member of the Araucariaceaefamily, along with the monkey puzzle tree. It’s native to Norfolk Island, located in the South Pacific Ocean between Australia and New Zealand. The Norfolk Pine is best known as the indoor Christmas tree, with its tiers of branches with soft, rich green needle-like foliage. It makes a beautiful statement plant all year long. Give Norfolk Pine plenty of bright light with some direct sun, but avoid midday summer sunlight, which can bleach the foliage. In its native habitat, it can grow up to 200 feet tall and 25 feet wide. As a houseplant, it generally grows to 6-8 feet (180 – 240 cm) tall, but given a large enough container and plenty of headroom, it can grow larger.
- Aloe vera (Aloe barbadensis): Aloe vera is a tropical succulent; it stores moisture in its fleshy foliage. Unlike other tropical plants, it prefers dry conditions (low humidity) and plenty of direct sunlight; it would be happy by a west or south-facing window. It has long spiky leaves that grow in an upright clump up to 18 inches (45 cm) tall and wide. Aloe vera is best known for its healing properties; the leaves contain a soothing gel used to treat burns and other skin conditions.
- Areca palm (Dypsis lutescens): Areca palm is the classic houseplant for bringing a tropical jungle vibe to any space. It has a tall upright form with tall fronds (segmented leaves) that grow in clumps directly out of the soil. Each frond is made up of several long, narrow segments that look like bamboo. Areca palms make great statement plants for large spaces. They can grow up to 7 feet (210 cm) tall and 3 feet (90 cm) wide.
Plants for Low Light Conditions
In their native habitat, many tropical houseplants grow in dappled sunlight. These plants make good choices for locations in your home with lower light levels such as north-facing windows or across the room from bright south-facing windows. Remember, though, low light doesn’t mean no light at all. No plants will survive in a dark corner with virtually no light.
The following plants are popular choices for low-light areas:
- Boston fern, sword fern (Nephrolepis exaltata): Boston fern is a classic indoor houseplant. It’s an evergreen native to tropical forests of South America, up through Mexico to Florida and the West Indies. In its natural habitat, it can reach up to 7 feet (210 cm) tall. Grown in containers indoors, they grow 2-3 feet (60-90 cm) tall and wide. The compound (segmented) leaves, known as fronds, are long and sword-shaped. They grow upright and then arch gently as they mature. They prefer bright indirect or filtered light, but can tolerate lower light conditions. Like all ferns, they prefer consistently moist soil and high humidity. They’re the perfect choice for a bathroom or kitchen.
- Spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum): This is the classic beginner’s houseplant. They’re easy-care plants and can survive some neglect. They have narrow arching green leaves and produce tiny new plants on long thin yellow stems. When conditions are right, they also produce long stems of small white flowers.
- Snake plant (Sansevieria sp): There are wide varieties of snake plant; some have deep green leaves, others are striped, variegated green and yellow. They’re virtually indestructible, tolerate dry indoor air, short periods of drought, and don’t need regular repotting. They all have long, rigid leaves that grow in vertical clumps, giving the plant a formal architectural appearance. Some varieties are small enough for the corner of a desk, while others add drama to a room with their height.
- Peace lily (Spathiphyllum): Peace lily is one of the few plants that will flower in low-light conditions, although it flowers better in brighter indirect light. It has large oval glossy green leaves, and produces white flowers made up of a specialized leaf (called a spathe) shaped like the cupped palm of a hand, with the actual flower spike sticking up like a finger from the leaf base.
Choosing Tropicals To Add Color
Choosing plants for your indoor space isn’t just about matching their needs with the locations you have available in your home. It’s also about finding plants that suit your style and your desired look. Tropicals come in a wide variety of sizes, textures, and interesting foliage in rich shades of green. In addition to that, they can add more color to your decor, with colorful flowers or foliage.
Flowering Tropical Houseplants
Most tropical houseplants need very specific growing conditions to produce flowers. The combination of light level (both intensity and duration), humidity, and temperature needs to be just right and can be challenging to achieve. Most of them need several hours of bright indirect light for flower production. Without the addition of artificial lights, most tropical houseplants rarely flower and are simply grown for their attractive foliage.
Another important fact about most flowering tropicals is that they don’t flower all year round. They have their specific flowering season followed by a dormant period when the plant takes a rest from flower production. Most flower during the extended daylight hours of late spring or summer, but others such as pink jasmine (Jasminum polyanthum) bloom in late winter. Keep this in mind when choosing flowering tropical plants to add color to a room.
That said, there are a few flowering tropical plants that are less fussy and will flower quite reliably:
- African violet (Saintpaulia ionantha): African violets are one of the most familiar flowering houseplants. They have fuzzy leaves and flowers in colors of pink, purple, and white. They like bright indirect light, or can be grown using plant lights. They only grow to about 10 inches (25 cm) tall, so they’re a good choice for small spaces. Unlike many tropicals that only flower at certain times of year, African violets flower several times a year, giving you flowers just about all year round.
- Thanksgiving cactus (Schlumbergera truncata) and Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera x buckleyi): These two plants are named for the time of year they come into flower. They’re very similar-looking, the only real difference being the shape of the flat segmented stems; the Thanksgiving cactus has small pointy hooks on each side of the segments, while Christmas cactus segments are more rounded and scallop-shaped. These plants flower in response to reduced daylight hours and are often sold for the holiday season (hence their common names) just as they are coming into flower. Most commonly sold is the Schlumbergera truncata, which flowers a little earlier than S. buckleyi, and it often gets mislabeled as Christmas cactus. They all produce their red, pink, or white flowers at the tips of arching flat stems. Plants grow to about 24 inches (60 cm) wide. They like bright diffused light (as through a sheer curtain) all year and tolerate direct winter sunlight.
- Tropical Hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis): Tropical hibiscus (or Chinese hibiscus) is another popular houseplant grown for its beautiful five-petalled trumpet-shaped flowers in colors from white to pink, purple, yellow, and orange to vibrant red. They will flower all year as long as they receive at least 2-3 hours of direct sunlight every day; the more sun, the better for these plants. A south-facing window is a good location. Hibiscus flowers on new growth, so pinching back the plants (pruning the growth tips just above a leaf node) will encourage more blooms. Younger plants are dense and bushy, while more mature plants are often trained into standards (main trunk with bushy growth at the top).
Houseplants with Interesting and Colorful Foliage
Many tropical houseplants don’t flower well indoors but add interest to a room all year with their foliage instead. Several have variegated (two-toned) leaves of green and creamy white, yellow, or shades of pink, red, or purple. Tropicals also have a wide range of leaf shapes; some are long and narrow, others are heart-shaped or large, wide ovals. Some are upright, and others have a long trailing habit. The point is, visual interest can be achieved even if a plant doesn’t flower.
- Croton (Codiaeum variegatum): Croton is a common and popular houseplant, and there are hundreds of varieties, grown for their vivid leaf colors and interesting leaf shapes. They all have thick, stiff leaves that grow along an upright central stalk. All varieties have variegated (two-toned) foliage – hence the scientific Latin name – in colors of green with yellow or creamy-white to vibrant pink, red, or bronzy purple. They like high humidity and bright indirect light (too little light and they’ll lose their vibrant coloring). They grow 3-8 feet (90-240 cm) tall and 3-6 feet (90 -180 cm) wide, depending on the variety.
- Prayer plant (Calathea sp): Prayer plants are grown for their boldly patterned striped foliage. Most varieties are shades of green and yellow or creamy-white, with a few also sporting pink to maroon stripes. These plants get their common name from the unique habit of the light-reactive foliage; at night the long oval leaves curl in along their central vein and slowly unfurl again in the morning. The leaves grow directly from the soil in dense clusters, reaching up to 2 feet (60 cm) tall and wide. Calathea like bright indirect light and need high humidity. (Note: Another similar plant from the same family, Marantaceae, is a group called Marantas. These also go by the common name Prayer Plant because they also roll their leaves at night).
- Chinese evergreen (Aglaonema sp): There are many different varieties of Chinese evergreen. They have long oval variegated leaves in varying shades of green. Many have interesting creamy white or yellow variegation. There are also some that have outstanding variegation in bright pink or red, including ‘Lady Valentine’ or ‘Red Siam’. They prefer bright indirect light. In lower light conditions, they will lose their interesting colorations and fade to pale green. They can grow 1-3 feet (30-90 cm) tall and 2-4 feet (60- 120 cm) wide, depending on the variety.
- Swiss cheese plant (Monstera deliciosa): Monsteras are fast-growing tropicals known for their large green glossy leaves with deep cuts and perforations (known as “fenestration”) that give the plant its common name Swiss cheese plant. (It is also sometimes confusingly called Split leaf philodendron, but it isn’t a true philodendron). There are several different varieties, some with creamy-white or pale green variegated leaves. Monstera is a large-leafed climbing plant. It will need a physical structure like a trellis or moss pole to support its abundant leafy growth on stems that can reach up to 20 feet long. They prefer bright indirect light (no strong direct sunlight) and lots of humidity.
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