A Guide to Tropical Indoor Plants: 15 Best Houseplants

Neeru
By Neeru
20 Min Read

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Living in tall, concrete buildings surrounded by gadgets can often make us long for nature, plants, greenery, and a lively environment.

Most tropical and subtropical houseplants originate under the canopies of tall forest trees. Thus, they very well thrive in low light conditions under the shade of a house roof.

Tropical indoor plants
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Tropical indoor plants are widely used for aesthetic purposes because they bring tropical vibes inside a house. These plants are easy to maintain. A new bud, a new flower, revival of a stressed plant are little things that can cheer up your mood instantly.

So, follow our guide to take care of tropical indoor plants and turn your concrete house into a lively home!

Read through to discover 15 of the best indoor trees and tropical plants that can add a new life to your house!

First, let’s see various benefits of having indoor plants in your home:

1. Indoor Plants Can Be Stressbusters

Research has found that having indoor plants in your home or office can make you feel more comfortable. Planting a house plant improves biological factors associated with stress, heart rate, and blood pressure.

Working with plants could also control both psychological and physiological stress.

2. Therapeutic Application

Indoor gardening can be helpful for people seeking relaxation or reducing mental illness.

Horticultural therapy has been used for ages to increase the feelings of well-being among people with depression, anxiety, and dementia.

3. Tropical Plants Improve Indoor Air Quality

Indoor air pollution is a big problem in tiny apartments without proper ventilation. You might not be able to afford to change your house financially, but you can change your indoor air quality with the help of houseplants.

Multiple studies have found that tropical house plants can reduce contaminants from the indoor air. Houseplants are significantly effective in reducing airborne volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

You can purchase the below-mentioned tropical indoor plants to freshen the indoor air naturally.

The most effective species of air-purifying tropical indoor plants are:

• rubber tree

• areca palm, lady’s palm

• bamboo palms

• spider plant

• Ficus tree

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4. Boost Productivity and Creativity

Several studies have found that having indoor plants in the workspace increases productivity and creativity. This is because natural elements of tropical indoor plants can help to buffer the effects of job stress and anxiety.

5. Aesthetic Use

House plants look pretty awesome! No better decoration items can match the charm of lush green houseplants.

Indoor plants are a favorite of people wanting minimal yet pretty interior decor.

Tropical indoor plants featuring vibrant flowers, jagged-edge leaves, and colorful foliage can transport any room to the tropics.

6. Health Benefits of Indoor Plants

Indoor air plants can even reduce the occurrence of headaches by improving indoor air quality. One additional health benefit of indoor plants is in easing dry skin because plants can be used to increase the relative humidity indoors.

Indoor plants can also reduce respiratory ailments caused due to dry air.

Types of Tropical Indoor Plants

Read the following list to discover the different types of tropical indoor plants, along with a guide to taking good care of your plant babies!

1. Croton – Bright Light-Loving Plant!

How to Keep a Croton Plant HAPPY: Croton Plant Care

Croton is one of the most colorful tropical indoor plants. Crotons are rainforest plants with shiny, multi-colored leaves. Bright light and high humidity make the croton plant feel right at home. The gorgeous tropical plants of Croton with glossy, rainbow-colored patterns are well worth the effort.

If you underwater the Croton plant, it’ll give you a signal through droopy leaves if humidity is low in your home, mist around the leaves of your Croton plant.

The best colors of Croton leaves are developed when grown in bright light. Thus, croton houseplants must be situated in a sunny window. Croton can tolerate medium light indoors, but it won’t grow much, and foliage may revert to plain green.

Why do Croton leaves fall?

Croton is a tropical plant, meaning they thrive in warm and humid conditions. If your croton plant is exposed to cold or hot extremes, its leaves might fall off.

Tropical indoor plants of Croton are found in the Pacific Islands, Malaysia, and Northern Australia.

2. Dumb Cane (Dieffenbachia)

A beautiful house plant with broad leaves that have green and white color patterns. The interesting name Dumb cane is given to this plant because of the temporary speechlessness that can occur after chewing a piece of its stem.

It’s a low-maintenance plant, very convenient for your busy lifestyle.

Tropical indoor plants like Dumb Cane need average humidity and light. Plant the Dieffenbachia in well-draining soil and water lightly. Keep the soil consistently moist but not soggy.

Improper lighting can cause trouble for your house plant, so don’t forget to keep it in an area with diffused sunlight.

Dumb canes are native to the New World Tropics from Mexico and the West Indies south to Argentina. It also grows in large numbers in the wild in Brazil.

3. Monstera Deliciosa

How to Grow and Care for Monstera (Swiss Cheese) Indoors

Monstera deliciosa is one of the coolest and most exotic plants. It has a distinct shape of leaves with holes and slits. It’s also called the Swiss Cheese Plant. Monstera deliciosa is a big plant with foot-long foliage.

Monstera deliciosa can survive in low or medium light with added humidity. This indoor plant can live for many years without much effort. The tropical indoor plant of Monstera can grow up to nine feet, so keep some empty space on either side of the plant to let the glossy leaves grow outward.

• Light: The Monstera deliciosa plant prefers bright light in the winter and partial shade or indirect light during the growing season.

• Water: water twice a week in the summer and once a week in the winter.

• Green and white leaves are color variations.

WARNING

The sap on Monstera deliciosa plants can be caustic, so it’s good to wear gloves when handling them.

Best Tropical indoor plants
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4. Amazonian Elephant’s Ear

The Amazonian elephant’s ear is a common but distinctive plant. Elephant’s ear is one of the best Tropical plants to grow indoors.

It has large, arrow-shaped green leaves. You can put these tropical plants in hanging baskets to give your room a tropical vibe. Amazonian elephant’s ears prefer rich, fast-draining potting soil.

This is an easy-to-grow indoor plant. Regular fertilizing can provide wonderful foliage for elephant ear plants.

The Amazonian elephant’s ear originated in the tropical regions of Southeast Asia.

• Lighting: filtered or partially shaded sunlight

• Water: Maintain a moist environment but avoid wet roots or soggy soil.

Elephant’s ear comes in varieties such as–Black coral, Blue Hawaii, Burgundy stem, and Diamond head.

WARNING

Elephants’ ear is a little poisonous, so keep them away from children and pets.

5. Ficus Plants

Ficus Plant Collection and Care Tips!

Ficus plants can grow pretty tall with good care.

Keep the ficus plant in one position because it doesn’t like to be moved around. This plant needs extra care when grown indoors during winter, or it’ll drop the leaves in cold conditions.

Average light, warmth, and humidity are required all year round.

Check on aphids, spider mites, mealybugs, and thrips.

• Lighting requirements: bright, indirect light.

• Water: water these tropical houseplants regularly during the growing season. Do not overwater it. Check the soil moisture before watering. Reduce water use from autumn to late winter.

• Color options include yellow or white blossoms.

6. Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum)

The peace lily is a lush, flowering tropical plant. These tropical houseplants give a tropical vibe to your living space with white and pink flowers.

A lovely bloom of peace lilies can add a beautiful touch to your house.

Peace lilies are common in homes and offices because they are so low-maintenance and easy to grow. The Peace Lily plant is easy to grow and maintain, and the blooms last for months.

Peace lilies don’t like direct sunlight, so keep them in a filtered light area. They prefer temperatures above 40 degrees Fahrenheit.

• Peace Lily requires medium, indirect light with partial shade. These tropical plants can even tolerate low light.

• Water: mist frequently in the summer to keep the soil moist; reduce water in the winter.

• Color options include white and creamy white.

WARNING

Peace lilies can be toxic, so practice caution around pets and children.

7. Orchids (Orchidaceae)

Orchids grow in various places, from tropical to subtropical to woodlands. The most popular flowering plants of orchids grow in tropical and subtropical forests.

The flowering orchid is best amongst tropical house plants used for decorative purposes. The colorful and gorgeous flowers of orchids are widely used for aesthetic purposes.

Orchids like a warm, humid climate, so they avoid direct sunlight and dry air.

• Lighting: bright, indirect light. South or east-facing windows provide an ideal spot for growing indoor orchids.

• Water once a week, when the soil mix gets dry, not more frequently. Too much watering leads to root rot, crown rot, and problems like fungus gnat infestations, so allow the soil to dry between waterings.

• Exotic plants of Orchids come in various colors like white, pink, yellow, purple, red, and orange.

8. Philodendron (philodendron)

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Philodendrons are one of the most famous tropical house plants. They can be easily grown by newbies because they adapt to various lighting and water conditions and thrive indoors very well.

The large, green, dark leaves of philodendron allow them to absorb even the tiniest traces of light and water.

There are two varieties of philodendron- Climb and self-heading (non-climbing). Climbing varieties grow easily and faster. New hybrid types with a mix of climbing and self-heading varieties provide the best qualities and are very easy to grow.

• Lighting: indirect to medium lighting. Too little light can result in leggy growth with lots of space between the philodendron leaves.

• Water: mist and water the Philodendron frequently during the summer and less frequently during the winter. Water your philodendron every 1-2 weeks, allowing the soil to dry out between waterings.

To give it a bushy and richer look, prune your philodendron regularly!

9. Bird of Paradise (Caesalpinia)

Also called the crane flower, the ornamental plant of the bird of paradise is native to South Africa.

The vibrant bird of paradise provides true jungle vibes inside your house. Given enough sunlight and the right conditions, these plants can grow up to 6 feet tall, and the leaves naturally split as they mature.

The tropical bird of paradise plant likes bright sunlight and high humidity. Water your bird of paradise plant every 1-2 weeks, allowing the soil to dry out between waterings. Regular misting also helps in keeping this plant happy and healthy.

Birds of paradise plant bloom at least once every year. Summer offers prime conditions for this gorgeous plant to bloom into its full colorful brilliance.

10. Rubber Plant (Ficus Elastica) – Bright Indirect Light Loving!

These glossy-leafed beauties of rubber plants can add a luxurious touch to your indoor garden.

The rubber tree is native to South Aisa and Southeast Asia. It is regarded as one of the very best houseplants to clean the air.

Rubber tree comes in different sizes, varying from a 3 feet small rubber plant to a 6 feet tall rubber tree. Don’t forget to wipe the leaves clean when they get dusty!

Rubber plant prefers bright, indirect light.

To keep your rubber plant healthy, clean it once a week and mist the leaves with water or gently wipe them with a damp cloth.

To get more leaves on your rubber tree, prune the plant to promote branching through nodes on the stem.

11. Fiddle Leaf Fig (Ficus Lyrata)

The ever-trendy but hard-to-keep-alive ‘Fiddle leaf Fig’ is a hit all over social media.

Fiddle leaf figs grow naturally in tropical rainforests of western Africa, from Cameroon west to Sierra Leone.

Featuring very large, heavily veined, and glossy violin-shaped leaves, the beauty of Fiddle Leaf Fig is bliss for interior decoration.

While not the easiest plant to keep alive, if handled properly, the fiddle leaf fig can grow up to 10 feet indoors. Fiddle Leaf Fig likes a very consistent environment, so don’t move it around, or those big leaves will drop.

The tropical indoor plants of fiddle leaf fig enjoy the bright, indirect sun.

The number one way to kill a fiddle leaf fig is to overwater it while keeping it in a pot with no proper drainage. So, water your fiddle leaf plant only once a week or every 10 days.

12. Caladium

Also known as Angel Wings, this plant steals the show with its unique, colorful foliage. The large leaves of Caladium, shaped like arrowheads, come in striking shades of green, red, pink, and white. The South American native plant of caladium can be a spectacular tropical accent for your home.

Caladiums can grow in the shade to part shade. Two to four hours of direct sun, preferably morning or bright dappled light, is best to grow colorful leaves of the caladium plant.

Caladium is a tropical tuber plant that likes high humidity.

Caladiums enjoy evenly moist soil, so keep the soil damp but don’t let it get soggy. Water your Caladium about once a week when the top inch of the soil gets dry.

13. Umbrella Plant

The tropical indoor plant of the umbrella tree is one of the most elegant houseplants of all.

The tall, elegant Umbrella plant gets its interesting name from the umbrella-like shape of its lush green leaves. It has green leaves arranged in circles. Umbrella plants also come in dwarf varieties, which are smaller and more compact.

The botanical name of the tropical plant is: Schefflera actinophylla or Brassaia actinophylla

Sun exposure suitable for these tropical house plants: Bright, indirect light

The soil type preferred by these tropical indoor plants is nonacidic soil i.e., : Peat-based potting mix with a soil pH between 6.0 – 6.5,

Umbrella plants can be repotted in the spring season.

Allow the soil of these tropical plants to dry out between waterings to avoid root rot.

Toxicity: Umbrella plants can be toxic to pets.

14. Aglaonema

The colorful tropical plant of aglaonema comes in bright pinks, whites, deep greens, and other colorful patterns. It’s also known as Chinese evergreen.

The aglaonema’s botanical name is Aglaonema commutatum.

Sun exposure needed for aglaonema plant: Bright, indirect light.

Tropical indoor plants of aglaonema like peat-based potting soil with soil pH of 5.5 – 6.5.

These tropical plants tend to thrive indoors.

Tropical indoor plants of aglaonema can grow in lower-light areas. But you’ll need to give bright light sometimes to the aglaonema plant to maintain its bright colors and speckled patterns.

15. Areca Palm

Areca palm is one of the easiest palms to grow indoors because of its tolerance for low light.

But areca palms do best if bright light exposure is provided from a south- or west-facing window.

Water your palm trees often enough to keep the soil lightly moist in spring and summer, and water it around once per week to once every 10 days in winter. Areca palm is an excellent air purifier and is also pet friendly.

Other indoor palm tree varieties include parlor palm, fishtail palm, and finger palm.

Most tropical plants are easy to grow indoors. Follow our guide to perfectly grow tropical indoor plants and enjoy the natural beauty of dark green leaves, colorful flowers, and much more at your home.

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