If you are looking to add to your houseplant collection or are a beginner to the world of houseplants, you may have come across some plants that seem familiar but cannot name.
Or the plant may seem entirely new for you! In such cases, it is best to know a few tips on how to identify common houseplants.
Memorizing is not always possible, so this is where mobile applications come into the picture.
You can easily identify thousands of different plants in less than a couple of minutes with such apps.
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Identification Practices For Common Houseplants
There are a few common characteristics among indoor plants, and once you learn them, identifying different varieties of plants is easy.
Here are some common houseplants that are more prevalent, and you are likely to notice them in domestic settings:
1. English Ivy
The English Ivy is a gorgeous house plant variety.
It is usually hung in pots, allowing its curly tendrils to flow out of its container gracefully.
Due to its fast-growing ability, the tendrils can grow up to 100 feet in height.
The color of its leaves is dark green, and they tend to have a waxy texture with palmate veins.
2. Fiddle-leaf Fig
The fiddle leaf fig is a popular and common houseplant.
Its popularity stems from the fact that it is a charismatic, attractive, and easy-to-maintain houseplant.
The large, violin-like leaves grab attention and add to the allure of the room it is planted in.
The stem grows tall if you allow it to grow, and the leaves emerge from the middle of the stem.
Its appealing nature, along with its ease of maintenance, makes it a highly coveted houseplant.
3. Nerve Plant
The most attractive feature of the nerve plant is its colorful veins that contrast its dark green leaves.
The color of its veins varies from pink, red, and white.
The shape of the leaves is in that of a spade, and they grow from fuzzy, green stems.
As far as houseplants go, the nerve plant is quite short, but the leaves are captivating enough.
4. Succulents
Succulents are trendy and popular houseplants these days.
They are uniquely shaped, need less maintenance, and can last for many years if cared for properly.
There are over 60 different families of succulents and more than 10,000 species.
They come in all sorts of colors, shapes, and sizes, but their most notable characteristic is their fleshy leaves.
5. Snake Plant
Snake plants are easily identifiable because their upright, sleek, and glossy leaves are their most attractive feature.
The snake plant is also known as the mother-in-law’s tongue, owing to its sharp leaves.
Depending on the variety, the leaves are striped with dark and light green colors, and sometimes even yellow or white.
This plant does not have stems, branches, or blooms, which is why it is easy to maintain its compact nature for long periods.
6. Pothos and Philodendron
These two plants are similar in appearance and are often wrongly labeled by retailers and homeowners alike.
Both these plants belong to the same plant family, Araceae; however, they are not different varieties of the same plant.
Pothos belong to the Epipremnum genus, while Philodendron belongs to the Philodendron genus.
The similarities between both the plants are heart-shaped, dark green leaves that climb or crawl and grow on vines.
They also happen to be extremely easy to maintain and make great houseplants.
The differences are: Pothos have some texture on their leaves while those of the Philodendron feel velvet-like.
The pothos also has wider, thicker, and lustrous leaves compared to the Philodendron.
Both the plants possess aerial roots, but the ones on pothos are more spread out, while those on the Philodendron are clustered.
7. Dracaena and Bromeliads
These plants are not too alike in appearance, at least compared to the pothos/philodendron.
However, they still get misidentified often.
This misidentification can lead to providing wrong care to the wrong plant as they have different maintenance needs.
Similarities: both the plants have leaves that spring out from the center.
These leaves are spiky, long, and green in color, with white edges.
Differences: Bromeliads grow flowers in the middle of the foliage, while dracaena grows a stem with small white flowers when it blooms.
These plants are easily identifiable when they are in bloom.
How To Identify Flowering House Plants
Some common flowering houseplants can be identified with ease, depending on how they bloom.
Here are some tips on how to identify the following flowering houseplants:
1. Orchids
For those who want to grow flowers inside their home, orchids are the best choice.
Not only are they a pleasure to grow, but the colorful blooms can brighten any home they are planted in.
The flowers are usually a vibrant pink, glowing white, or a mixture of different colors. Orchids are durable houseplants that can last up to months indoors with little care and watering.
2. Peace Lily
The peace lily is one of the most elegant and stunning houseplants.
Its dark green leaves contrast nicely with its white flowers with yellow centers.
The dark green leaves are large, wide, and jagged, adding to the plant’s attractiveness, even when it is not in bloom.
3. Bromeliads
Bromeliads have long-lasting and vibrant blooms that grow from the center of their foliage.
It is an extraordinary-looking plant that can thrive without much care.
It is not humanly possible to remember all the features of different houseplants.
This is why it is helpful to make use of technology that can identify plants for you.
Here are some examples of platforms that provide you with information about houseplants:
1. PlantSnap
This app can identify 90% of plants and trees accurately. It has over 600,000 plant varieties in its database.
However, it is not 100% accurate, so you will need to use your discernment as well.
2. Picture This
This is an app you will need to pay to use after the first few free trials.
It is worth every penny you spend because of the information that it provides.
This app gives you information about different types of plants and fun facts about the plants you want to learn more about.
3. PlantNet
The best part of this app is that you can interact with other plant lovers on the platform.
The app helps you out with identifying plants, but you cannot fully rely on it.
Hence it is great to have other users who will be able to help you identify different types of houseplants.
Plus, it is a completely free app!
FAQs
You can identify plants based on your prior knowledge of plants, or you can ask your local nursery employees to help you identify plants you want to know about in detail.
Additionally, mobile apps are excellent for identifying plants you have never encountered before.
Once you know what kind of plant you have at hand, you can ask around to determine if the plant is suitable for indoor or outdoor planting.
You can also look the lant up online and see what different websites suggest.
Most plants can be grown indoors and outdoors, given that the conditions are maintained well.
Some plants like succulents grow better inside, while other plants that need plenty of sunlight and air might grow better outside.
Most plants can be grown both indoors and outdoors, or partially indoors and outdoors if the conditions allow.
There is no evidence to show that plants grow better indoors rather than outdoors and vice versa.
Yes, most indoor plants can be grown outdoors with no issues.
Before doing so, acclimate your plant to bright light and humidity or colder weather, depending on which suits the plant better, before bringing it outdoors.
No, you can use fertilizers meant for indoor plants on outdoor plants, too.
If you are concerned that your plant may be sensitive, it is better to use appropriate fertilizer for it.
Over To You
Identifying houseplants can be a fun process if you know about most plants in the gardens or nurseries.
But if you are a beginner, you might get confused with some of the common plants.
Hopefully, the above guide will help in making this process a little easier.
If you have any more questions, do let me know in the comments below.
If you liked this guide, share it with your friends and family.
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