Araceae — Aroids

The parent species of most cultivars. Dark green leaves with silver-grey mottling. More tolerant of genuinely low light than almost any other tropical foliage plant. Grows slowly in low light but maintains its health indefinitely. The base species is rarely sold under this name but is the foundation of the entire cultivar range.

Wide, lance-shaped leaves with heavy silver-green variegation and dark green margins. One of the most popular and widely available cultivars. Tolerates lower light better than most patterned forms. The silver variegation holds in conditions where cream or pink forms would revert. A reliable choice for offices and darker rooms.

Dark green leaves with vivid red margins and a red midrib. The red coloration requires medium to bright indirect light to develop and maintain. In low light the red fades significantly toward green. More cold-sensitive than green or silver cultivars. The most widely available red-form Aglaonema.

Pink midrib and stems with green and cream leaf patterning. One of the more striking pink cultivars, and more stable in its pink expression than some. Requires bright indirect light to maintain the pink coloration. In lower light the pink fades toward cream and the overall contrast diminishes. Less forgiving of low light, cold, or inconsistent watering than green or silver forms. Not a beginner plant despite the genus's reputation.

Green leaves with irregular yellow splashing. Variegation fades in low light as the plant produces more chlorophyll to compensate. Move closer to a window to restore it. Given a moss pole and bright indirect light, leaves can reach 30cm+ and occasionally fenestrate. Almost universally available and nearly impossible to kill through neglect alone. The gap between how it is usually kept (trailing shelf plant) and what it is capable of (large-leaved climbing specimen) is substantial.

Heavy cream and white variegation. The white sectors contain no chlorophyll and cannot photosynthesize. The plant produces less energy overall, making it slower than golden and more sensitive to low light. In insufficient light, green sectors expand and white contracts as the plant compensates. Needs meaningfully more light than golden pothos to maintain its patterning. On a moss pole in bright indirect light it is one of the most striking trailing aroids available.

Solid chartreuse-lime. No variegation, faster growing than marbled cultivars as a result. One of the few pothos that reads as genuinely intentional in low light, where the vivid color contrasts well against shadow. New growth emerges a bright lime and darkens slightly with age. Care is identical to golden pothos and equally forgiving.

Technically a separate species, E. pinnatum, commonly marketed as pothos. Narrow, silvery-blue juvenile leaves with a metallic sheen unlike anything else in the genus. Given a climbing surface and adequate light, mature leaves develop dramatic pinnate fenestration into long finger-like lobes that look nothing like the juvenile form. The gap between the juvenile form (as sold) and the mature form (on a tall moss pole in bright indirect light) is one of the largest in common cultivation. One of the most underrated aroids available.

A hemi-epiphyte from Central American rainforest. The fenestrations, holes and peripheral splits in mature leaves, are functional. Current theory holds they allow wind passage and help dappled light reach lower leaves. Indoors, full fenestration only develops in mature plants given a climbing support. Without a moss pole the plant sprawls, produces smaller leaves, and rarely fenestrates.

The aerial roots produced at each node are not ornamental. They are thick, rope-like, absorptive and structural. Direct them into the soil or onto a damp moss pole and the plant responds with accelerated growth and larger leaves. Never cut them.

Tissue culture cultivar with stable cream-and-green variegation scattered across leaves in a constellation-like pattern. Extremely slow growing. White sectors cannot photosynthesize, and the plant produces significantly less energy than the standard species. Requires brighter light than standard deliciosa to maintain variegation. The stability of the variegation (it will not revert or shift as in Albo) makes it more predictable, though the pace of growth requires patience measured in months per leaf.

One of the most morphologically distinct Monsteras in cultivation and one of the most frequently mismanaged. In juvenile form, dubia produces small leaves that press flat against whatever surface they grow on, the shingling habit. Leaves alternate left and right up a vertical surface, overlapping slightly. The adhesive aerial roots grow between the leaf and the climbing surface, anchoring the leaf in place. This is not a trailing or hanging plant under any circumstances. It requires a vertical surface.

Mature form: leaves develop fenestrations and can reach 60cm. The mature form looks nothing like the juvenile shingle phase and is rarely achieved indoors without ideal conditions.

Among the most drought-tolerant and low-light-tolerant plants in cultivation. Grows faster than most growers expect when given appropriate watering and medium indirect light. The neglect-based care it is usually given produces survival rather than growth. Long-lived. Specimens decades old are not uncommon.

New growth emerges lime-green and darkens to near-black over several weeks as the stem matures. The color transition repeats with each new stem. At any given time a mature Raven ZZ shows stems at multiple stages of darkening from bright green through deep purple-black. The darkest-leaved common houseplant in general cultivation. Identical care to standard zamiifolia. Produced by tissue culture.

Deep green, arrowhead-shaped leaves with dramatically contrasting white veins and wavy, lobed margins. One of the most widely sold houseplants globally despite being genuinely demanding. High humidity, consistent warmth, and bright indirect light are all non-negotiable. Grows from a corm. Prone to dormancy when stressed. Leaves drop and the plant appears dead, but if the corm is firm and intact, new growth will follow when conditions improve.

Grown primarily for its distinctive zebra-striped petioles rather than for its leaves, which are relatively plain mid-green arrowhead shapes. Grows from a rhizome rather than a corm, making it slightly more tolerant of moisture variation than corm-based Alocasia. Still needs 55%+ humidity.

Deeply ridged, textured leaves with a reptilian surface and silver-green coloration between dark veins. One of the most tactilely distinctive houseplants in cultivation. Sensitive to cold and overwatering. Produces small cormels at the base that can be separated for propagation.

Small, velvety, near-black leaves with white veining. One of the most compact Alocasia in cultivation. Grows from a corm. Requires high humidity and warm conditions. Cormels form readily and can be separated for propagation.

The waxy, heart-shaped spathes are modified leaves, not flowers. The actual flowers are the tiny structures along the spadix. Will rebloom given bright indirect light and occasional phosphorus-forward feeding. More forgiving than its collector relatives. Widely sold as a gift plant and frequently discarded. It does not need to be.

Large, velvety, dark green leaves with silver-white veining. One of the most widely grown collector Anthurium and one of the more forgiving of the velvet-leaved group, a reasonable starting point. Produces aerial roots actively; direct into moist medium or moss.

Long, narrow, velvety dark green leaves with silver veining. One of the most difficult collector Anthurium to maintain long-term. Requires 70%+ humidity consistently, very careful watering into an extremely well-aerated medium, and warm stable temperatures. Not recommended as a first Anthurium. Start with crystallinum or clarinervium.

Heart-shaped, thick, velvety leaves with strong white veining and a white underside. More compact than crystallinum. Slightly more tolerant of lower humidity, one of the better entry points for the velvet-leaved group. Grows from a more terrestrial-type root system than strictly epiphytic relatives.

White leaves with green veining. The most widely available white-ground cultivar. Requires reasonably bright indirect light. In lower light it produces more chlorophyll and goes progressively green. Slightly more delicate than red or pink forms.

Deep green leaves with striking white midrib and primary veins. Taller, more upright habit than the broader-leaved caladiums. Slightly less dormancy-prone than bicolor cultivars in consistent warmth. In a warm bright environment it may grow year-round. More architectural than typical Caladium.

Cream to yellow center with narrow green margins. The most widely available Dieffenbachia cultivar. Tolerates lower light well. Can be cut back and will resprout from the bare cane, one of the more unusual propagation characteristics of any common houseplant.

Large, broadly oval leaves with heavy cream and white variegation and green margins. One of the larger-leaved cultivars. Vigorous grower. Care identical to Camille but proportionally larger water and feeding requirements given the greater leaf area.

Dark green, heart-shaped leaves with a waxy sheen and reddish petioles. Compact and well-suited to lower light environments. Produces a noticeable spicy or anise-like scent when the foliage is handled, an unusual and identifying characteristic of the genus. One of the most dependable low-light foliage plants available.

Glossy, deep green heart-shaped leaves with a particularly high-gloss surface. One of the more upright-growing Homalomena forms. Widely available and reliable. Same aromatic foliage characteristic as all Homalomena.

Heart-shaped, glossy mid-green leaves on thin flexible stems. The most widely cultivated Philodendron and one of the most forgiving houseplants available. Tolerates low light, irregular watering, and low humidity better than most in the genus. Produces aerial roots at each node that will attach to a moss pole. The benchmark for ease of care in the genus.

Green leaves with irregular yellow-lime central variegation. Semi-stable pattern varies across individuals. Faster growing than many variegated plants due to the proportion of green tissue. One of the most underrated easy houseplants, vivid color and nearly as forgiving as plain hederaceum.

Velvety, iridescent dark green to bronze leaves with a wine-red underside. The velvet texture and color shift in different light angles is the distinguishing characteristic. More humidity-sensitive than standard hederaceum but still manageable in average home conditions. One of the most elegant and undervalued common Philodendron.

Large, velvety, heart-shaped leaves with striking white veining. Grows from a thick horizontal rhizome that moves along the soil surface. Does not climb and should never be staked upright. Wide, shallow container essential. Position the rhizome at the soil surface, not buried. More forgiving of imperfect humidity than its price suggests.

Dark, velvety, elongated leaves with orange-bronze new growth that darkens to near-black green at maturity. New leaves are dramatically more vulnerable than mature leaves. The cataphyll peels to reveal the new leaf, which can become stuck and damaged if humidity is insufficient during unfurling. 65%+ humidity is essential particularly during new leaf development.

Dark green leaves with irregular deep pink to bubblegum pink variegation. The pink is chimeral and can shift between leaves unpredictably. Brighter indirect light encourages pinker leaves. Cutting back to a node that produced more heavily pink leaves and propagating from there is the standard method for improving expression.

White pinstripes on dark green leaves. A spontaneous chimeric mutation from 'Rojo Congo' that cannot be reliably reproduced. Cuttings can revert to Rojo Congo or produce entirely different variegation. New leaves sometimes emerge almost entirely white before developing striping. These are the most vulnerable during unfurling. Care is relatively forgiving for a variegated Philodendron.

Compact, self-heading form with glossy, pinnate leaves. More manageable indoors than the larger tree Philodendron. One of the most widely sold self-heading forms. Tolerates average home conditions well. Does not climb or trail. No support needed.

Long, narrow, pendulous leaves with a pale green coloration unlike most other Philodendron. Strictly epiphytic climber. High humidity requirement. Native only to a small area of Espírito Santo, Brazil, where it is critically endangered. Demand has historically driven wild collection in its extremely limited native range.

Neither a Monstera nor a Philodendron. Rapidly growing climbing aroid with fenestrated leaves that superficially resemble a small Monstera deliciosa. One of the fastest-growing houseplants in general cultivation. Requires a climbing support for the most fenestrated leaves. More humidity-tolerant than actual Monstera deliciosa. Easy and widely available.

Shingling species. Small, flat leaves pressed against the climbing surface. Dark green with silver mottling on juvenile leaves. Requires a damp, textured climbing surface. Cork bark is most reliable. High humidity essential. A specialist plant for collectors who want the shingling growth form.

Matte, heart-shaped leaves with scattered silver spots on dark green. The most widely available Scindapsus. Tolerates lower light than other cultivars but the silver spotting fades in insufficient light. The matte, textured surface is distinct from the glossy finish of most common trailing aroids.

Larger leaves than Argyraeus with a much higher silver-to-green ratio. Some leaves are nearly entirely silver. Requires more light to maintain silver coverage. More striking but less forgiving. In low light the silver contracts significantly.

Pale, nearly solid silver-green leaves. A different species from pictus with a more uniform pattern. The pale, almost glowing quality in good light is distinctive. More forgiving of humidity variation than pictus cultivars and one of the most refined-looking trailing aroids available.

Compact, glossy green leaves with white spathes. One of the most tolerant houseplants in cultivation. Blooms most reliably in medium indirect light. Brown leaf tips indicate fluoride sensitivity. Switch to filtered or rainwater. The dramatic wilting when thirsty is a feature not a flaw: one of the most reliable watering indicators of any houseplant.

The largest commonly available Peace Lily. Reaches 1.5m with deeply ribbed, very dark green leaves. More architectural than standard wallisii. Needs more light and a larger container. Impressive in a well-lit corner with adequate space.

Arrow-shaped, mid-green juvenile leaves that transition to multi-lobed adult leaves on a climbing plant with support. One of the most tolerant and easy-to-propagate houseplants available. The mature climbing leaf form is considerably more dramatic than the juvenile form usually sold.

Pink-flushed leaves with a warm blush coloration. Brighter indirect light produces more vivid pink. Care is identical to plain podophyllum but needs more light to maintain the pink rather than reverting toward green.

Deep, near-black purple leaves. One of the most dramatic foliage plants available at this scale. Requires bright indirect to some direct light to maintain the dark coloration. More moisture-tolerant than most ornamental aroids. Needs significant space indoors.

White and green variegation on large, upward-facing arrowhead-shaped leaves. Requires medium indirect light to maintain the white variegation. More forgiving of humidity variation than Alocasia. The upward-facing leaves distinguish it from Colocasia at a glance.