Asparagaceae — Asparagus Family

The most architecturally refined ornamental asparagus, with fine, horizontal, frond-like branching on climbing stems. Young plants have a low, spreading form; mature plants develop climbing stems that need support or somewhere to trail from. More humidity-sensitive than densiflorus. The delicate texture belies a reasonably tough plant once established.

Arching, trailing stems with needle-like cladodes giving a softer, fuller texture than setaceus. Commonly grown in hanging baskets. More robust and drought-tolerant than setaceus. The tuberous roots make it very forgiving of neglect. The most widely available ornamental asparagus. Produces small white flowers followed by red berries in good conditions.

Upright, cylindrical plume-like stems rather than the arching trailing form of Sprengeri. The formal, upright habit is architecturally distinctive. More suited to a container than a hanging basket. Same care requirements as Sprengeri. The plume form is the primary ornamental distinction.

Single or eventually multi-trunked with a pronounced swollen caudex and long, strappy, curling leaves cascading from the growing tip. Among the most drought-tolerant houseplants in cultivation. A month without water in a well-established specimen causes no distress. Also among the slowest: meaningful growth is measured in centimetres per year. The characteristic multi-stemmed, branching form of large specimens takes decades to develop.

Green leaves with a central white stripe. The most widely available variegated form. Produces long arching stolons bearing spiderettes that can be pinned to new pots or rooted in water. One of the most reliably propagated houseplants in existence. Brown leaf tips indicate fluoride sensitivity. Use filtered or rainwater.

The reverse variegation pattern to Vittatum — cream-white edges with a green center rather than a white stripe on a green ground. Less commonly available at retail than Vittatum. Care is identical. The distinction is primarily aesthetic. Both are equally forgiving.

Curly-leafed form. Leaves curl and twist rather than staying flat, giving a more compact and visually unusual appearance. Slightly less vigorous than the flat-leaved forms. The curling is the only meaningful difference. Same care, same toxicity profile, same propagation method.

Distinctly different from comosum. Broad, glossy, solid green leaves with vivid orange petioles and midribs. Does not produce the typical stolons and plantlets of standard spider plants. Requires slightly more light than standard spider plants to maintain the orange coloration. In low light the orange fades toward yellow-cream. More architectural and less immediately recognisable as a spider plant.

Deep burgundy-red strappy leaves on an upright stem. One of the most widely sold colored cultivars. Requires bright indirect light to maintain the red coloration. In low light it reverts significantly toward green. Loses lower leaves naturally as the cane extends, which is normal. Can be cut back to encourage branching from lower on the stem.

Green and cream striped leaves with pink margins, a tri-color effect. Medium to bright indirect light to maintain the pink. Slower growing than single-color forms. The pink margins are most vivid in good light and in cooler conditions.

More cold-tolerant than fruticosa. It survives light frost outdoors in mild climates. Deep burgundy, strap-like leaves on an architectural upright stem. More tolerant of full sun than fruticosa. Well suited to cooler indoor environments such as bright hallways and porches where fruticosa would decline. One of the better large-leaved plants for cool, bright positions.

Upright, banded dark and mid-green leaves growing from a short rhizome. The most forgiving plant in the genus and one of the most forgiving houseplants in general cultivation. Uses CAM photosynthesis. Opens stomata at night to conserve water. Produces pups from the rhizome over time. Long-lived; specimens decades old are common. One of the best choices for genuinely difficult indoor environments.

The classic variegated snake plant — golden-yellow leaf margins on banded green leaves. Requires more light than plain trifasciata to maintain the margins. The yellow margin is chimeral, present only in the outermost cell layers. Leaf cuttings cannot reproduce it. Any cutting taken from the leaf body regrows as plain trifasciata without the yellow edge. Division of pups is the only propagation method that preserves the margins. This is one of the most widely misunderstood propagation facts about this plant.

Pale silver-sage leaves with subtle banding. One of the most elegant snake plant cultivars. Color is most pronounced in medium to bright indirect light. In low light it becomes a muddier, less interesting green. Must be propagated by division of pups to preserve the silver coloration; leaf cuttings revert to plain trifasciata.

Compact, low-growing rosette form. Leaves are shorter and arranged in a tight spreading rosette rather than the upright habit of standard trifasciata. Better suited to small spaces, shelves, and terrariums. Identical care requirements to standard trifasciata. Produces pups from the base that can be divided.

Produces single, enormous paddle-shaped leaves that can reach 45cm wide. Extremely slow growing. Produces one leaf at a time. The scale and mottled texture of a mature leaf is unlike anything else in common cultivation. Care is identical to trifasciata but the single-leaf-at-a-time growth habit means any damage to a leaf is significant. It cannot be compensated for by new growth for many months.

Multi-stemmed tree with narrow, arching, red-edged leaves at the growing tips of long bare stems. Very architectural. One of the most tolerant indoor trees. Lower leaves fall naturally as the stem extends. This is normal. Can be cut back to encourage branching. Cold drafts cause tip browning and leaf drop. One of the best options for a low-maintenance indoor tree.

Broad, arching, glossy leaves on a thick central cane. One of the most widely sold indoor trees. Occasionally produces intensely fragrant flowers indoors. Loses lower leaves naturally. The most widely sold cultivar, 'Massangeana', has a central yellow-gold stripe. 'Janet Craig' is plain dark glossy green and one of the most tolerant Dracaena in low light. 'Warneckii' has narrow dark green leaves with white and grey-green striping. 'Lemon Lime' requires more light to maintain its bright coloration.

Near-black, strappy leaves in a low, spreading clump. Produces small lilac flowers followed by black berries in good conditions. The most genuinely black-leaved common houseplant available. Striking as a contrast plant alongside pale or silver-leaved species. Prefers cooler indoor conditions. Bright hallways, cool conservatories, and unheated rooms suit it better than warm centrally heated living rooms. Spreads slowly by rhizome.

Long, lance-shaped, dark green leaves emerge individually from a spreading underground rhizome, with no trunk or branching structure. Named for its ability to survive conditions that kill most houseplants — deep shade, irregular watering, dry air, temperature swings — and was a fixture of Victorian parlors lit only by gas lamps and later of smoky early-20th-century bars, hence its two common names. Extremely slow-growing; a single growing season may produce only a handful of new leaves, but the plant can live for decades.